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Two men charged with armed robbery, fleeing from police in Lancaster

LANCASTER — Two Lancaster men have been charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy and related offenses after police say they stole a car and other items f...
Suspects

LANCASTER — Two Lancaster men have been charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy and related offenses after police say they stole a car and other items from two people they were riding with Sunday night in Lancaster.

Darien Springer, 24, and Saladin Barnes, 20, were found in the stolen vehicle and apprehended after leading officers on a foot chase, according to Lancaster Police. They are accused of robbing the victims at gunpoint after attempting to help them arrange a drug transaction, police say.

One of the victims, a man, was struck in the face with a handgun during the alleged robbery, police say. The second victim was a woman. The suspects confronted the victims on the 400 block of Fremont Street after driving to several locations around the city in an attempt to arrange the drug deal, the victims told police.

The suspects took a pair of sneakers from the male victim and stole the female victim’s 2016 Toyota Corolla, according to police.

The victims told police they knew one of the suspects through Facebook and provided the suspect’s profile name to police, who relayed a physical description of the stolen vehicle to other officers via radio.

At about 11:26 p.m., police say, two officers found the stolen car in the area of College Avenue and West James Street. The vehicle fled east on West James Street at a high rate of speed in an attempt to elude the officers, according to police.

The suspects eventually stopped at West James and North Water streets and fled south, running through the back yards of residences in the area, police say. The driver of the vehicle, Springer, was apprehended shortly after, police say.

Barnes allegedly dropped a backpack and a handgun while fleeing from the officers, police say. The backpack contained a quantity of suspected marijuana, and the handgun, a .380 semi-automatic pistol, was reported stolen out of Allentown, police say.

Barnes allegedly climbed onto the roof of a home in the area in an attempt to escape. With the assistance of the Lancaster Bureau of Fire, who provided ladders to assist police in accessing the roofs, Barnes was taken into custody, according to police.

Barnes was charged with Robbery of Motor Vehicle, Criminal Conspiracy (Robbery of Motor Vehicle), two counts of Receiving Stolen Property, Persons Not To Possess (etc.) Firearms, and Firearms Not To Be Carried Without a License.

Springer was charged with Robbery of Motor Vehicle, Criminal Conspiracy (Robbery of Motor Vehicle), Receiving Stolen Property, Fleeing or Eluding Police, and Driving Motor Vehicle While Operating Privilege is Suspended or Revoked.

Both Barnes and Springer were held for arraignment. Both were arraigned and committed to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $200,000 bail.

The circumstances leading up to the meeting between the victim and suspects to establish a drug deal is still under investigation, police say.

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