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Michael Malcolm was sentenced to 185 months plus five years of supervised release and $300 restitution, the US Attorney's Office said in a release.
Investigators said the robberies happened within minutes on the night of Oct. 5, 2021. Malcolm walked into Illadelph by All in One Smoke Shop at 14230 Bustleton Avenue and asked for cigarillo wraps before handing over some money, authorities said.
When the clerk opened the register, Malcolm drew a gun and robbed the till, according to prosecutors. He made off with about $300 and fled the scene.
He then walked into Somerton Beverage, 13510 Bustleton Avenue, and handed an employee money for a beer, authorities continued. When the employee didn't open the register, Malcolm again drew a gun, according to prosecutors.
The clerk yelled "he got a gun," and Malcolm fled the store with only the beer, authorities said.
He was spotted on Bustleton Avenue by two Philly police officers just after the Somerton robbery but fled on foot when they tried to stop him, officials said. He was arrested after a brief foot chase and the officers found a loaded 9mm handgun in his possession, according to the US Attorney's Office.
“Anyone willing to rob a total stranger at gunpoint, let alone try it twice in a matter of minutes, is an obvious threat to our community,” said US Attorney Jacqueline Romero.
“The victim clerks in this case were on the job, just trying to make a living, when someone who’d rather steal money than earn it made them fear for their lives. We and our law enforcement partners are working to identify, prosecute, and lock up violent offenders like Michael Malcolm, to make the streets — and the stores — of Philadelphia safer for all.”
Malcolm pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery, one count of attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence in February 2023.
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