Courts.
A Telford man who attempted to steal a car while its owner was inflating its tires is now headed to state prison for the robbery.
Robert Michael McBrien, 35, of the 300 block of East Reliance Road, was given a four to eight year prison sentence by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge Risa Vetri Ferman on Aug 15, according to court documents, after pleading guilty to felony robbery of a motor vehicle in September 2023, per court records.
McBrien will received 342 days as credit for time served, per the documents.
Other charges of felony robbery by force, felony theft, misdemeanor simple assault, misdemeanor reckless endangerment, and harassment were withdrawn.
Per Ferman’s ruling, McBrien must undergo a mental health evaluation, and attend and complete anger management.
According to The Mercury, East Norriton Township Police responded to Wawa on the 700 block of West Germantown Pike on Sept. 8, 2023 at 9:04 p.m. for a report of a man who attempted to steal a woman’s car and assaulted her and her son, police said.
Police said the woman parked her 2017 Mercedes-Benz near an air pump at Wawa, and began inflating them, when McBrien walked toward her.
He ran to the driver’s side, got in, and closed the door, police said. The victim’s 9-year-old was in the front passenger seat, police said.
The woman opened the driver door, tried to pull McBrien out of the car and screamed for help, police said.
McBrien fled from the car when a passerby stopped to help, and was later found near Whitehall Road and Woodland Avenue, police said.
McBrien was caught on surveillance video committing the attempted carjacking, per the report.
