Lansdale Armed Robbery Suspect Tasered, Arrested Saturday Night

A Hatfield Township man is in Lansdale Police custody after allegedly committing an armed robbery on a woman who was behind the wheel of her car in a parking lot on Jenkins Avenue.

Stacy Beckett, 40, of the 100 block of Tulip Drive, Hatfield Township, was arrested Saturday evening after allegedly robbing a 30-year-old woman at gunpoint on the unit block of Jenkins Avenue, near South Broad Street and Stanbridge Apartments.

He was tasered and arrested about a 75 minutes after the 9 p.m. robbery on the unit block of East Second Street behind Citizens Bank, police said.

On Saturday night, Lansdale Police responded to an armed robbery in the area of Jenkins Avenue and Broad Street, police said.

The victim had left the scene of the robbery and fled for her safety to the 7-Eleven at North Broad Street in Hatfield Township, police said.

The victim told police she pulled her car into the weekend overflow parking lot, shared by Montella's Pub and other area businesses, in order to go to work. 

A black male in a gray-hooded sweatshirt reached into her window, put a gun to her head, and demanded money, police said.

The victim handed over her wallet and checkbook, police said. He then asked for her cigarettes, police said.

The suspect fled the scene and the victim fled in her car, police said.

Lansdale and Hatfield Township officers canvassed the area for the suspect.

A co-worker of the victim told police he saw a suspicious black male matching the description hanging out prior to the robbery in the area of a business near Main and Broad, police said.

The co-worker said it appeared the suspect was casing the area, police said.

The co-worker then contacted police minutes later, and told them the suspect had been seen on Jenkins Avenue, police said.

Police attempted to stop the suspect, identified as Beckett, and he allegedly ran from police.

Police caught up to him on the unit block of E. Second Street where he allegedly became uncooperative with police, police said.

Beckett was tasered and taken into custody. The victim was able to identify the suspect, who police recognized from prior contacts, as Beckett, police said.

The victim's wallet, checkbook and cigarettes were not recovered, according to sources.

Sources told Patch Beckett was transported to Lansdale Hospital for treatment of sanitary issues by Volunteer Medical Service Corps of Lansdale after being tasered.

Beckett was arraigned before District Justice Harold Nesbitt III of Horsham who set bail at $250,000 cash, according to court records. 

Beckett had an outstanding Pennsylvania Parole Board warrant, and a detainer was lodged against him, police said.

Beckett remains incarcerated at Montgomery County Prison awaiting a preliminary hearing, police said.

Beckett pleaded guilty in September 2008 to numerous felony theft and burglary charges from Lansdale Borough, and was sentenced to concurrent prison sentences totaling a maximum of three years.

Beckett has had 18 criminal offenses in Montgomery County court since 2000.

He pleaded guilty to use and possession of drug paraphernalia in December 2011 and was sentenced to 80 days in prison.

In July 2009, he pleaded guilty to felony fleeing or eluding an officer and was sentenced to 204 days in prison.