Federal Charges For Two Convicted Felons Arrested During Riots
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Once someone is convicted of a felony, they are not allowed to carry or be in possession of a gun. That is the law. If that law is broken, chances are that person will do prison time in a federal institution as well as a state prison. During the rioting and looting that happened during the George Floyd Protests, Steven Pennycooke, 34, and Shawn Collins, 27, both of Philadelphia, PA were allegedly out after citywide curfew on June 2 2020.
Police got a call about two males loading an ATM onto a cart on the 4100 block of Viola Street, in Philadelphia. Once officers arrived, they spotted the two males who fit the description given to them. They were near a vehicle about halfway down the block from a safe, police said. According to the complaint, Pennycooke removed an object, later confirmed to be a loaded 9mm Hi-Point C9 handgun, from his waistband and discarded it in the rear passenger seat of the vehicle parked nearby. Collins was also found to have a firearm in his waistband, later confirmed to be a loaded 9mm Taurus PT24/7 G2 C handgun. Both Pennycooke and Collins are convicted felons and cannot legally possess firearms. Also according to the complaint, Collins acknowledged to the arresting officer that he did not have a permit to carry a firearm..
“As I made clear last week, my Office is committed to prosecuting anybody who took advantage of the George Floyd protests to try to commit violent acts or otherwise violate federal law. There will be accountability,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “In this case, two previously convicted felons are charged with allegedly possessing firearms, which presents a clear danger to the community. We will continue to enforce the rule of law in Philadelphia and throughout the Eastern District of Pennsylvania during this period of unrest – and always.”
Both males will face state and federal charges from this incident.