Gunpoint Robbery at Bensalem 7-11: Two Suspects Arrested
In the early hours of Saturday, July 20, 2024, Bensalem Police responded to a report of a gunpoint robbery at the 7-11 convenience store located at 2511 Lincoln Highway in Trevose. The incident occurred at approximately 2:50 AM.
Upon arrival, the store clerk recounted that a black male, dressed in black pants, a black hooded sweatshirt, black gloves, and a face mask, entered the store and requested a carton of Newport cigarettes. When the clerk returned to the register, the man appeared to be pointing a concealed object at the clerk, claiming it was a gun.
He then demanded all the cash from the register. Complying with his orders, the clerk handed over the cash and the carton of cigarettes. The suspect then calmly exited the store, disappearing from sight behind the building.
A K-9 unit was deployed to search for the suspect, but he was not found. Reviewing the store’s surveillance footage, officers discovered that the suspect had entered a vehicle waiting behind the building and fled the scene. Utilizing technology, including cameras and license plate readers, the police identified a silver-blue Chevrolet Malibu that had fled south on Route 1 into Philadelphia.
The vehicle’s registration was shared with Bensalem officers and neighboring police departments.
At approximately 4:50 AM, Bensalem officers spotted a Chevrolet Malibu with the matching registration plate traveling south on Lincoln Highway near a Wawa store. A traffic stop was conducted for vehicle code violations.
The vehicle was driven by Amanda Petherbridge, 34, and her passenger, Christopher Yelverton, 42. Both had no fixed abode. Yelverton matched the general description of the robbery suspect but was not wearing the same clothing as seen in the surveillance footage. Neither Petherbridge nor Yelverton owned the vehicle or possessed a valid driver’s license or proof of insurance.
Before towing the vehicle, officers noticed black sweatpants, gloves, and a black hooded sweatshirt in the back seat, along with a large amount of cash and a black handgun. Both individuals were detained, and the vehicle was taken to the Bensalem Township Police Department for a search warrant execution.
During the search, police recovered an unopened carton of Newport cigarettes, black gloves and clothing, $300 in cash, four black face masks, narcotics, and
a black Canik TP9 semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine loaded with 29 rounds of 9 mm ammunition. It was determined that neither Petherbridge nor Yelverton had a firearm permit, and both were legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.
Amanda Petherbridge and Christopher Yelverton were charged with Robbery, Criminal Conspiracy, Persons Not to Possess Firearms, Terrorist Threats, and related charges.
They were arraigned by District Justice Maggie Snow and remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility on 10% of $100,000 bail.