Final 2 suspects in Philly robbery appear in court

Philadelphia--The last two suspects wanted in connection with the violent kidnapping and robbery of a Jewelers’ Row employee in Philadelphia this past spring were arrested and appeared in court Monday, where they were ordered to be held without bond until their trial.

According to Philly.com, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrested 26-year-old Basil Buie and Salahudin Shaheed, 35, on Thursday evening. They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hey for a hearing Monday, where details of the incident were discussed.

In April, a 53-year-old woman identified as an employee of National Watch & Diamond Exchange was forced into a van by the three men as she was leaving work and heading to her car in a parking garage.

According to police, she was beaten and tasered for more than an hour and repeatedly was asked for the keys to the store and the codes to the safe, which she did not know.

The suspects allegedly took her ATM card before dumping her in a cemetery, only to return and kidnap her once more to get her personal information. They left her in the cemetery again, after which she was able to get help.

It was also said during the hearing Monday that one of the men sat on top of the victim while they were driving her around.

Neither the ATF nor the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania could be reached for comment by press time.

Philly.com reports that the ATF had a number of confidential sources that helped nab the two, and it is believed that one of them was the third person charged in the case, 31-year-old Khayree Gay.

Gay was arrested in Lake City, S.C. less than a week after the robbery occurred. He reportedly has been acting as a key witness in the case against Buie and Shaheed, though both of the suspects’ lawyers spoke out against Gay’s version of events in court Monday.

Judge Hey cleared the way for the case to go to trial, and ordered that Buie and Shaheed be held in custody without bond until then.

Buie, Shaheed and Gay all are being held on federal charges of attempted robbery. Gay also faces kidnapping charges, which will likely be added to Buie and Shaheed’s charges once their case goes before a grand jury.