Lower Salford Police Photo by James Short.
A Lower Salford man is in custody at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after he allegedly stole a handgun from an unlocked truck at the Harleysville Fair and then used it to rob the McDonald’s on Main Street.
Alex Eyasu, 18, of the 300 block of June Drive, has been charged with felony counts of robbery, theft by unlawful taking, and firearms not to be carried without a license, along with misdemeanor counts of simple assault, terroristic threats, evading arrest, reckless endangerment, and theft from a motor vehicle. He is currently being held on 10% of $99,000 cash bail.
Investigators allege that during the evening of May 22, Eyasu – accompanied by his juvenile girlfriend – stole a loaded Beretta 9mm handgun from an unlocked Ford F-350 that was parked near the Harleysville Fair. Afterwards, Eyasu and the girl went to the McDonalds along the 200 block of Main Street, walked to the drive-through window and requested food, according to charging documents.
Staffers at the McDonalds told police that Eyasu was a former employee, and when he was informed that he could not order while standing at the drive-through window, he allegedly lifted his shirt, revealed the firearm, grabbed the handle and motioned as if he was going to pull it from his waistband, police said.
The employees gave him $12.67 worth of food, and he and the girl then left, according to the criminal complaint, which also noted that surveillance footage from the scene corroborated the employees’ account of the incident.
Police said they attempted to make contact with Eyasu at his home, but his parents said he had just left. They used a tracking device to provide his location to police, but as they arrived to that location, Eyasu was observed fleeing through the nearby yards, investigators said.
He was located along the 300 block of Main Street a short time later and taken into custody, but he was no longer in possession of the firearm, according to the affidavit.
Officials said they interviewed the juvenile female, who stated Eyasu had allegedly told her he hid the gun in his brother’s closet. The following morning, police said they recovered the firearm from a bedroom in Eyasu’s home, inside a laundry basket on the floor and partially covered with clothing. The safety on the firearm was off, and the gun was fully loaded, including one round in the chamber, police said.
The owner of the firearm contacted police a short time later to report their gun had been stolen, the affidavit states.
Eyasu was arraigned during the afternoon of May 23, and he was taken to the county jail after failing to post bail. His next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on June 5 at 11:15 a.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Adam Katzman.
A review of court records shows Eyasu was out on $2,500 unsecured bail at the time of his arrest, in relation to a felony retail theft charge that was filed against him on April 25 in Lower Salford Township. In that case, Eyasu is accused of stealing a bottle of vodka from the Fine Wine and Good Spirits store in Harleysville.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
