Robbed, Doylestown man takes off after robbers

In his second Wild West episode in less than two years, a Doylestown Township man was robbed of more than $30,000 outside his home Sunday night, then survived a hail of bullets fired at him when he chased the robbers in his pickup truck, authorities said.

The victim, Serge Tancrede, was arrested in 2006 after recklessly blasting away with a handgun at two suspected prowlers outside his house. Tancrede, 37, remains on a two-year pretrial probationary program from that episode.

Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said yesterday that she knew of no connection between the incidents.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Sunday, police say, Tancrede found himself on the receiving end of gunfire.

According to a probable-cause affidavit, he had pulled up to his house on Steeplechase Drive with two boxes containing about $35,000. The cash was proceeds from several McDonald's franchises he owns in Philadelphia.

Two men accosted him outside his house, one with a handgun, police said. The gunman ordered Tancrede to the ground, beat him in the head with the gun handle, kicked him in the ribs, and left.

The two suspects fled south on Main Street in a black 2008 Ford Mustang containing a third man, police said. Tancrede, after telling his wife to call police, set out after them in his Ford pickup.

It was not out of character.

In May 2006, court records show, Tancrede spotted a young man on his front steps at 4 a.m., along with a second suspect in a parked truck.

As the men fled, Tancrede ran after them, squeezing off numerous shots at them.

The prowlers got away, but Tancrede was charged with reckless endangerment for emptying his gun in the Doylestown Hunt development, containing more than 200 houses and a nursing home. He entered the two-year pretrial probation program in August 2006.

Police said Tancrede apparently was unarmed Sunday night as he barreled south on Route 611 after the robbers. He caught up with the Mustang on Almshouse Road.

As the vehicles passed the Bucks County prison complex, one of the robbers leaned from a passenger window and fired five shots at Tancrede. The location was "a little ironic," said Detective Cpl. Frank Bochenek of the Doylestown Township Police Department.

Tancrede "crouched behind the dashboard so he would not be shot," the affidavit said. One bullet penetrated the grille of his truck.

Tancrede soon lost sight of the Mustang and went home. But Chalfont police officer Giancarlo Logiovine spotted the car on northbound Route 202 and pulled it over. The suspects sped off when ordered out of the car, police said.

On nearby Sand Road, the Mustang crashed through the gate and fence of a lumber company and into a nearby rail embankment.

All three suspects took off on foot along the railroad track, one pausing to point a gun at Logiovine. When he shouted for them to stop, one halted while the others fled through a hole in a fence.

Just after 11 p.m., officers found the fugitives in a barn off Route 202. Both had cash on them; more was found in the Mustang, along with McDonald's paperwork.

The suspects were identified as Rasheen Robinson, 28; Troy Ford, 24, and Sherif Scott, 21, all of Philadelphia. Each was charged with robbery, aggravated assault, theft, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy.

All remained in the Bucks County prison last night after failing to $200,000 bail.

Efforts to reach Tancrede for comment were unsuccessful. A call left at McDonald's corporate communications office was not returned.