Left: Shaquan Brown drops a pistol in the driveway of a home in Pennsylvania that he attempted to rob. Right: The Smith & Wesson .40 caliber firearm used by Brown in robbery and located by police. (Photos courtesy U.S. Justice Department.)
He observed local business owners in Pennsylvania, looked up where they lived and then decided to rob them at their homes. He even used zip ties to restrain one nail salon owner and his entire family before violently attacking them and stealing their hard-earned money.
Shaquan Brown, 29, of Philadelphia was found guilty by a federal jury on Wednesday, the Justice Department announced. Brown was found guilty of multiple charges including conspiracy to commit armed home invasion robberies targeting businesses and attached residences of their owners, robbery affecting interstate commerce and attempted robbery affecting interstate commerce, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of robbery, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon.
Prosecutors stated that from November 2019 to January 2020, Brown and three others planned their attacks on their victims. During New Year’s Eve 2019, Brown and two others confronted a nail salon owner in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Brown forced the owner into the salon at gunpoint, demanded money, and then tied his hands and covered his mouth with duct tape.
Brown and his co-conspirators also physically assaulted the man with their fists and guns. After taking the nail salon's money, Brown then targeted the victim’s residence, coercing him to lead them back to his house.
The victim’s wife, children, and nanny were present at home. The intruders tied them all up and violently attacked the husband while Brown’s partners searched the property.
“We have been watching you for weeks,” Brown said, according to the Justice Department.
A few weeks later, on Jan. 3, when Brown attempted a home invasion again — this time in Downingtown, Pennsylvania — things didn’t go so smoothly. According to an FBI affidavit, Brown tried to break into a residence around 10:30 a.m. that day but was thwarted when a security system alert was sent to the homeowner’s phone and police. Even though the homeowner wasn’t present, the FBI stated she was able to use her smartphone to observe men in “dark clothes” trying to pry open her window.
Responding officers who were already at the scene witnessed the attempt and a pursuit ensued. Brown, who was wearing white gloves and carrying a backpack, attempted to flee but dropped a firearm in the driveway and then hastily retrieved it. Officers mentioned momentarily losing sight of Brown, who had run into the woods, among the trees before eventually finding him running through a creek and into a tunnel beneath a small bridge.
The second suspect was not found, but Brown was apprehended by police while he was standing in the creek. The FBI stated that the contents of his backpack included zip ties, duct tape, and a .40 caliber pistol with an “obliterated serial number loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition and 1 round in the chamber.”
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline Romero said on Wednesday that home invasion robberies are very frightening for the victims and destroy their feeling of safety in a place where they used to feel most secure. She also mentioned that it's unacceptable that being a successful business owner could make someone a target for criminals like Shaquan Brown, who would rather steal money at gunpoint than earn it themselves. The verdict not only holds Brown responsible for the harm he has caused, but also ensures that he will be in prison for many years so that he can't harm anyone else.
Brown will be given his sentence in July and he could get a mandatory minimum of 84 months in prison or a maximum of life in prison. After that, he will be under supervision for five years once he's released.
In 2014, Brown was arrested and faced charges of burglary, conspiracy, and related crimes. He admitted guilt in 2016, and was given a prison sentence of just over a year along with four years of probation.
A lawyer representing Brown did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Thursday.