Jeffrey Chandler and Samiyyah Poteat
A man and woman have been ordered to stand trial on attempted murder charges for shooting and robbing an elderly man while also robbing his friend outside a Northeast gun range last June.
Jeffrey Chandler and Samiyyah Poteat waived a preliminary hearing before Municipal Court Judge David C. Shuter on Sept. 30. Assistant District Attorney Tracie Gaydos is prosecuting the case. The defendants are scheduled for a Common Pleas Court arraignment on Oct. 21.
Poteat, 21, of the 4600 block of Walnut St., and Chandler, 28, who has ties to the 4900 block of Walnut, also robbed a patron of a Callowhill gun range one day earlier, authorities claim.
On June 12, the pair allegedly went to the Delaware Valley Sports Center, 101 Geiger Road, in Bustleton, approached two men ages 67 and 68 outside the business, pointed guns at them and announced a holdup. Poteat allegedly stole a cell phone battery from one victim, while Chandler approached the other man. Although that victim raised his hands to surrender, police said, Chandler shot him in the leg anyway. The bullet struck a major artery in the man’s groin area. As he bled, the robbers grabbed two duffel bags from the victim’s truck and fled, police said. The bags contained nine guns.
The gun range owner, three police officers and a paramedic gave first aid to the critically wounded victim, who was taken to an area hospital for emergency surgery. He remained there in recovery until July 3.
On July 11, Chandler and Poteat allegedly committed a similar robbery outside Yury’s Gun Range, 544 N. Percy St., but fired no shots. The victim was a 68-year-old man.
Police arrested Poteat on June 13 and Chandler on June 24, using surveillance video, cell phone records and search warrants to link the defendants to the crimes. Both defendants remain in prison in lieu of bail. Chandler’s has been set at $2 million and Poteat’s at $1.025 million. ••
