Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Three Lower Bucks County residents, two of which are facing gun charges in other counties, have been arrested in connection with a January shooting in Lansdale Borough’s West Ward that left a vehicle and three parked cars struck by gunfire.
A source confirmed that three suspects, all 20 or younger, were arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 shooting on the 300 block of West Mt. Vernon Street in Lansdale Borough, Montgomery County, where police previously said multiple rounds were fired at a moving vehicle in what investigators described as a targeted act.
No injuries were reported.
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Court records show Auprel McLean Jr., 20, of Levittown; Blake Edwards III, 18, of Bristol; and Sarai Grace Doyle, 19, of Northampton Township, were separately arraigned this week on numerous felony and misdemeanor charges. All three are scheduled for preliminary hearings June 24 before Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.
McLean was arraigned Friday before on-call Magisterial District Judge Todd N. Barnes and ordered held without bail after being deemed a danger to the community.
He faces felony counts of aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, and numerous related offenses including possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, theft and receiving stolen property.
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Edwards was arraigned Thursday before on-call Magisterial District Judge John Kessler and is being held on $50,000 cash bail.
Court records show he is charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated assault and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, along with conspiracy counts related to discharging a firearm into an occupied structure, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, theft and receiving stolen property.
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Doyle was arraigned Thursday before on-call Magisterial District Judge Marc A. Alfarano and released on $25,000 unsecured bail.
She faces numerous conspiracy-related charges, including conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, conspiracy to discharge a firearm into an occupied structure, conspiracy to commit reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, theft and receiving stolen property.
The arrests stem from a shooting reported shortly after 12:30 a.m. Jan. 6 in Lansdale’s West Ward neighborhood.
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Ring camera footage obtained by North Penn Now captured the sound of at least 10 gunshots on West Mt. Vernon Street near York Avenue Pocket Park.
Lansdale Police later said suspects fired multiple rounds at a moving vehicle. The vehicle was struck by gunfire, along with three parked vehicles.
According to the criminal affidavit, Lansdale Police recovered surveillance video showing a red Volkswagen Passat parking near West Mount Vernon Street and Susquehanna Avenue about 20 minutes before the shooting. Investigators allege two occupants, later identified as Auprel McLean Jr. and Blake Edwards III, exited the vehicle and walked through alleys between Green Street and Susquehanna Avenue before returning to the area shortly before gunfire erupted.
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Police allege the pair were involved in thefts from vehicles parked nearby that same morning. Investigators linked a stolen credit card taken from a vehicle on Green Street to purchases and inmate account payments allegedly made by McLean hours later. Surveillance footage from Oxford Valley Mall allegedly showed McLean attempting to use the stolen card, according to court documents.
The affidavit alleges that as a vehicle carrying three occupants traveled eastbound on the 300 block of West Mount Vernon Street, one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and began firing multiple rounds. Investigators said the gunfire struck the occupied vehicle, several parked cars and an occupied residence on Susquehanna Avenue where three people were sleeping inside at the time.
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Police allege McLean and Edwards fled on foot after the shooting and entered a Volkswagen Passat driven by Sarai Doyle. Investigators concluded the three traveled to Lansdale together to commit thefts from vehicles and that Doyle later picked up the two men after the shooting before leaving the area.
Nine shell casings were recovered, five near 330 W. Mt. Vernon and four near 328 W. Mt. Vernon St.
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Court records indicate McLean and Edwards also have other pending criminal cases in Pennsylvania. McLean is currently facing firearms-related charges in Bucks County and theft-related charges in Delaware County.
According to a recent report, Bristol Borough Police alleged McLean fled from officers investigating a disorderly gathering and was observed concealing a handgun with an extended magazine under the seat of a vehicle before leaving the scene.
Investigators later recovered a 9mm handgun, marijuana-related items and other evidence during a court-authorized search of the vehicle. Police further alleged recorded jail communications and video evidence linked McLean to the firearm.
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The gun, according to police, was a Geisler 19 9mm semi–automatic firearm equipped with an extended high–capacity magazine containing 28 live rounds of ammunition, along with a dual light/laser targeting device attached.
Edwards has multiple active criminal cases in Philadelphia and Delaware County, including pending firearms offenses and theft-related allegations.
Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between LevittownNow.com, NewtownPANow.com, and NewHopeFreePress.com and North Penn Now. To read more stories like this, visit https://www.northpennnow.com.
