On Tuesday, March 14, at 9:52 a.m., Bensalem Township Patrol Officers were involved in proactive patrols in the area of Route 1 and Interplex Drive.
An officer observed a motor vehicle code violation on a 2013 Ford Edge while it was traveling south on Route 1. A traffic stop was initiated and Bensalem Police made contact with the driver, Dio Garcia, 40, of Kindred St. in Philadelphia. A check of the National Crime Information Computer system showed the vehicle listed as a “Felony Vehicle — Occupant(s) Armed…Used in Point-of-Gun Robbery.” Garcia also had an active warrant out of Florida for a probation violation.
Garcia was taken into custody and the Ford Edge was towed to the Bensalem Township Police Department. A search warrant was obtained for the vehicle and police seized a plastic container of suspected marijuana and a loaded black .40 caliber Beretta handgun that matched the description of the weapon used in a point-of-gun robbery in Philadelphia. The handgun had also been reported stolen out of Delaware.
Garcia was charged with Persons Not to Possess Firearm, Carrying a Firearm Without a License, Possession of Marijuana and related charges. He was arraigned by District Justice Joseph Falcone and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of 10 percent of $200,000 bail. Philadelphia Police will be obtaining an arrest warrant for Garcia for the gun point robbery.
