Philly man convicted in violent home invasion in Haverford
A city man has been convicted in federal court on robbery and related offenses for a pair of home invasions targeting business owners in 2019 and 2020, including a Haverford nail salon.
Shaquan Brown, 29, was found guilty of conspiracy, robbery, attempted robbery, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon following a jury trial before U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe.
“Home invasion robberies are terrifying for victims, shattering their sense of security where they once felt most safe,” said U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero in a release announcing the verdict. “It’s unconscionable that running a successful business is enough to make you a target for criminals like Shaquan Brown, who prefer taking other people’s money at gunpoint to earning it for themselves.
This verdict not only holds Brown accountable for the harm he’s done, it will keep him behind bars for years, so he can’t hurt anyone else.”
Haverford police were called to the Fiji Nail Salon in the 100 block of West Eagle Road in the Oakmont section of the township just after 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2019, for an armed robbery and assault.
The owner of the business told officers that he parked his vehicle in the rear lot, exited and placed his keys in the door to enter the business/residence when he saw three men wearing masks and armed with handguns running toward him from the rear lot of a nearby Citizens Bank.
The trio forced the man into the building, then tied up the victim and his family. The robbers ransacked the residence and business before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash and jewelry.
The victim and family members were able to free themselves and call 911. The victim suffered facial and head injuries. He was transported to a local hospital and later released, authorities said.
Brown was arrested two days later by Uwchlan Township police in Chester County after the owner of a Downingtown residence called police for a residential burglary in progress. The home was unoccupied, but the owner was alerted by a security system that showed two men in dark clothing attempting to pry open a window.
Responding officers caught the pair in the act.
Both fled into nearby woods and one, later identified as Brown, dropped a firearm while running, but picked it up. Brown was eventually captured after running into a creek and hiding in a tunnel beneath a small bridge.
Police recovered a backpack containing zip ties, duct tape and the firearm. The gun was a chrome and black Smith & Wesson .40-caliber pistol with an obliterated serial number, loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition and 1 round in the chamber.
Prosecutors said Brown and his accomplice in
tended to carry out the same type of home invasion and robbery as the Haverford nail salon job.
Two accomplices
Two others were also charged, Sahir McCorkle and Tyreek Byrd.
McCorkle pleaded to unknown charges in April 2022. Most of his documents have been sealed. Byrd was found not competent to stand trial in March 2023 and he was subsequently severed from the case. His filings are also sealed.
Brown is scheduled for sentencing July 30. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 84 months and a statutory maximum of life in prison, with up to five years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Carissimi and J. Jeanette Kang.
“Everyone should feel safe in their home,” said Charles Doerrer, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Philadelphia Field Division, which investigated the case. “The violence that these families suffered is a serious crime, and this conviction will leave Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and homes safer. ATF is committed to working with our partners to prevent such violent crimes and seek justice for its victims.”