Krasner Strikes Again! D.A. Gave Career Thief Caught On Video A Couple Of Passes; Now He's Locked Up Again For Attempted Murder

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

The case of Joseph Scott, a career criminal, provides a textbook example of how the permissive policies and incompetence of Larry Krasner's bumbling D.A.'s office leads to more crime.

As Big Trial has previously reported, on Oct 8th, 2020, cops from the 26th Police District apprehended Scott after a chase on foot. While Scott was in custody, police showed him a surveillance video that captured him and an associate trying to steal a catalytic converter. 

Scott waived his Miranda rights and gave a statement saying yes, indeed, that was him on the video. The cops charged Scott, then 35, of the 2000 block of East Letterly Street, with theft, criminal mischief, and criminal conspiracy. 

Scott was a familiar face at the 26th Police District; his rap sheet featured six arrests, including three thefts, two aggravated assaults, narcotics, and illegally carrying firearms. He was out on bail after being arrested just two months earlier, in August of 2020, for stealing another catalytic converter.

But when Scott's more recent arrest for the theft of a catalytic converter went to the district attorney's office for prosecution last October, Assistant District Attorney Joo Kim declined to prosecute the case, claiming there was insufficient evidence.

So Scott went free. But two weeks after a Big Trial story ran on Nov. 13, 2020 about the case, the D.A.'s office issued a warrant for Scott's arrest. On Nov. 27, 2020, police arrested Scott again and charged him with theft, possession of an instrument of crime, conspiracy and criminal mischief. 

But since his bail was set at $10,000 unsecured, it meant that Scott didn't have to post a dime to walk out of jail, so he was free to resume his life of crime. Court records do not state what position the D.A.'s office took on bail for Scott.

On Monday, that great crime fighter, District Attorney Larry Krasner, announced that new charges had been filed against Scott, now 36, and Devon McAndrews, 25, said to be Scott's girlfriend. 

According to the D.A.'s office, both suspects were arrested for their "alleged involvement in an apparent ambush of an individual who was beaten, stabbed, and shot outside of a Kensington convenience store on May 25, 2021 on the 2500 block of Frankford Avenue."

In his press release, Krasner credited input from community members that led to the arrests of Scott and McAndrews last week by officers in the 26th Police District.

For his most recent crime spree, Scott was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, simple assault, conspiracy, reckless endangerment, illegal firearm possession, carrying firearms in public, possession of an instrument of crime. 

Scott is being held on $1 million bail secured, according to court records, which means he'd have to put up $100,000 to get out of jail this time. 

According to the D.A.'s office, the victim in the Kensington stabbing suffered severe lung damage as a result of the stabbing, in addition to a grazed wound from a firearm discharge. The victim has since been released from the hospital but is "expected to make a difficult recovery," according to the D.A.'s office.

Dustin Slaughter, a spokesperson for the D.A.'s office, did not respond to requests for further comment.

According to the D.A.'s office, "Scott and McAndrews were known to residents as the source of a series of ever-escalating incidents that started with automobile and catalytic converter thefts — for which Scott was arrested and charged in October of 2020."

The press release, of course, doesn't mention that the D.A.'s office initially declined to charge Scott. The press release also doesn't mention that when the D.A.'s office finally got around to charging Scott for the theft of the catalytic converter, bail was set so low that Scott got out of jail free.

The press release, however, does mention how responsive the D.A.'s office was after they got an earful from the community about Scott.

"Through a series of virtual community forums, residents informed members of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, Philadelphia Police Department, and elected officials, of the problems Scott and McAndrews were posing to the neighborhood," the press release states. "Numerous videos of Scott’s alleged activities were also provided to authorities."

"Arresting officers also allege that when confronted in his car by police with McAndrews in the passenger-side seat and a child in the rear seat, Scott produced a firearm and threatened officers with it," the press release states. According to the D.A.'s office, the police "were able to take Scott into custody without further incident after he complied with officers commands to drop the weapon."

Then it was time for D.A. Krasner to do some pandering. 

“I applaud residents of Kensington for their grassroots support of public safety,” D.A. Krasner was quoted in saying in the press release. “I’m also grateful to all of the inter-agency stakeholders who worked with community members to bring Mr. Scott and Ms. McAndrews to justice. These arrests underscore the importance of community input in improving public safety.”

If only we had a D.A.'s office that could get it right the first time.