Two brothers face charges after standoff
PLYMOUTH » Two brothers, one wanted for his alleged role in a robbery in Bridgeport, are facing multiple charges following a standoff with police in Plymouth Township.
Willie Floyd Singletary III, 29, of the 1900 block of Johnson Road, was arraigned before District Court Judge Francis J. Barnhardt III on charges of aggravated and simple assault, terroristic threats and recklessly endangering another person in connection with the alleged Jan. 13 standoff at his residence. Singletary III was remanded to the county jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail to await his Feb. 19 preliminary hearing on the charges.
Singletary’s younger brother, also named Willie Floyd, 20, was arraigned before Barnhardt on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, conspiracy to commit theft by unlawful taking and conspiracy to commit receiving stolen property in connection with a Dec. 25, 2020, incident during which he allegedly participated with four others in the robbery at the In & Out
Food Mart in Bridgeport.
The younger Singletary was remanded to the county jail in lieu of $300,000 cash bail to await a Jan. 27 preliminary hearing on the charges before District Court Judge James P. Gallagher.
The arrests of the brothers were announced Thursday by Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Plymouth Police Chief John C. Myrsiades.
Both cases will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Scott Frank Frame.
According to court documents, members of Montgomery
County SWAT – Central, armed with a search warrant, went to the Johnson Road residence on Wednesday morning related to the alleged involvement of the younger Singletary in the Christmas Day armed robbery in Bridgeport.
When law enforcement arrived, the 20-year-old Singletary exited the residence and peacefully surrendered along with three females and one child.
However, Singletary III “refused to exit the residence and surrender to police,” county detectives alleged in the arrest affidavit. A check by police found that Singletary III was wanted for homicide by the Philadelphia Police Department, according to court papers.
Additional information about the Philadelphia allegations was unavailable.
“(Singletary III) continually refused to surrender or exit the residence. He refused countless orders. His aggression escalated and he threatened to harm the numerous law enforcement officers present,” detectives alleged.
Singletary III allegedly shouted at police, “If y’all come through these doors you’re gonna have to kill me… Where’s the news reporters? You got five seconds, I swear to God I’m gonna throw it at you,” according to the criminal complaint.
Nearby residents were evacuated from their homes or chose to shelter in place in safe locations inside their homes, detectives said.
Police attempted to establish a line of communication with Singletary III but “his aggression would continually escalate, threatening to have hostages,” according to the arrest affidavit. Singletary allegedly pointed at one Lower Providence police officer and threatened to shoot him in the head, court documents alleged.
“Law enforcement officers observed (Singletary III) pour some type of liquid on parts of the residence and the doorframe. After doing so, Singletary then threatened if anyone entered the house that he has ‘it rigged to quickly catch fire,’” according to the criminal complaint. “He also stated, ‘Wants to shoot it out and see the house go boom.’”
Authorities alleged the threats made by Singletary III also threatened those living in adjacent townhomes.
Police enlisted the assistance of local utility companies to cut the power and gas supply to the residence, negating the elder Singletary’s alleged threat to “blow up” the residence, court papers indicate.
After nearly five hours of negotiation with SWAT members, Singletary III exited the residence at approximately 2:45 p.m. and was taken into custody without further incident.
“This standoff lasted approximately six hours before law enforcement was able to de-escalate the situation and safely removed Singletary from the residence,” detectives wrote in the arrest affidavit.
The investigation of the younger Singletary began Dec. 25 when Bridgeport police responded to a report of a robbery in progress at the In & Out Food Mart located in the 1000 block of DeKalb Street, according to court papers. Authorities alleged five subjects were involved in the alleged robbery that netted approximately $3,000 cash, lottery tickets and an iPhone.
Detectives alleged some of the suspects forced a clerk to the floor, held him down and “implied that they had a handgun and would kill the clerk if he fought,” according to a criminal complaint. The suspects fled on foot to the rear of the business and a search of the immediate area by responding officers was unsuccessful in locating the suspects at that time.
While authorities eventually linked the younger Singletary to the robbery, the others who allegedly participated in the robbery have not been identified, according to court documents. Court documents indicated police identified the younger Singletary through his distinctive gait from a prosthetic left leg, according to court papers.