A Philadelphia man has been jailed on robbery and assault charges for allegedly throwing hot cooking oil on another man during a drug deal inside a Memorial Avenue home, city police said.
Tyrell Williams, 23, allegedly conspired with three other men in attacking Michael Stewart inside Amy Baird's home at 875 Memorial Ave. about 1 a.m. back on Jan. 6.
The three other men remain at large, according to police.
After one of the men "sucker punched" Stewart in the kitchen, all four "jumped him, smashed a glass beer bottle over his head and went through his pockets," according to a police affidavit.
"Stand him up so I can shoot him," Stewart heard one of the men saying, police said, adding that at no time did the victim see a gun. No shots were fired.
Before fleeing with $130 of Stewart's money, the assailants threw hot cooking oil on him, police said.
There was a pot of cooking oil on the stove, police said.
Stewart, who was treated at the Williamsport Regional Medical Center, told police that he had gone back to Baird's home after the two met at a local bar.
"She had invited him back to her house and she wanted to get some 'weed,' " an officer wrote in the affidavit. Using a cellphone, a call was made to Baird's supplier, and a man showed up with drugs, police said. After the man left, Stewart and Baird realized that what they had was crack and not marijuana, police said. So a second call was made to the supplier, asking him to return with marijuana, police said.
The same man returned with three others. Within minutes after arriving, the four attacked Stewart, police said.
Officers caught up with Williams when Patrolman Justin Snyder spotted him driving a Chevy Malibu downtown about 7:20 p.m. Saturday.
Snyder and other officers stopped the vehicle in the area of Via Bella and Basin Street.
Williams was taken into custody without incident as were passengers James A. Plummer, 32, and Jerry J. Anderson II, 25, both of Philadelphia. Plummer had on him 15 packets of marijuana while Anderson was carrying 17 packets of heroin and five bags of crack cocaine, Snyder said Tuesday night.
All three men were arraigned before District Judge Jon E. Kemp. Williams faces charges of robbery, simple assault, theft and conspiracy. He was committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $175,000 bail. Both Plummer and Anderson were charged with possession with intent to deliver controlled substances, and jailed in lieu of $150,000 bail each.
Snyder said Williams will face drug charges at a later date as a result of police seizing controlled substances from him.
