2 arrested, ending standoff at Bucks gun shop

Two men who tried to burglarize a Tullytown gun shop early Monday were arrested after being located in the overhead ductwork of the building, police said.

Police Chief Daniel Doyle said the men, later identified as James Townes, 22, and Ashier Williams, 21, both of Philadelphia, set off an alarm around 2 a.m. by knocking a hole in the roof of Mike's Guns & Sporting Goods on the 200 block of Levittown Parkway.

Police responded and saw a man on top of the building, Doyle said. Officers then surrounded the strip mall and attempted to negotiate with the would-be burglars.

At one point, Doyle said, 911 dispatchers received a call from someone who whispered about seeing a body on a nearby street. But police traced the call and determined it had been made from around the strip mall. Doyle said one of the suspects likely made it to distract police.

Instead, officers called the cellphone. No one answered, Doyle said.

Around 7:45 a.m., according to Doyle, police found one man in the vents above a pizza parlor adjoining the gun shop. Three SWAT officers with a dog had climbed onto the roof from a Philadelphia police armored car, Doyle said.

The second suspect was discovered shortly before 10:15 a.m. hiding in the ductwork between the establishments, Doyle said.

It was not clear whether Townes or Williams was arrested first.

Doyle said that during their search of the property, officers had pulled down the ceiling to the point where "it was inevitable we were going to find them."

Residents were advised to shelter in place Monday morning. The Pennsbury School District announced a two-hour delayed opening, and the nearby St. Michael the Archangel School closed for the day as the search for the second suspect dragged on.

Investigators had not immediately determined whether anything was taken from the gun store. Doyle said local police were assisted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Townes and Williams were each charged with a host of felonies, including burglary, conspiracy, and criminal trespassing, according to court records. They were arraigned by District Judge Robert L. Wagner, records said, and both were held in Bucks County Prison with bail of $500,000 each. It was not immediately clear whether either had secured an attorney.

Townes in 2007 was charged with robbery, assault, and related offenses, according to court records, but the charges were dropped.