Lancaster man gets up to 13 years for armed pizza delivery car theft

LANCASTER, PA – A city man who held a gun to a pizza delivery driver’s head before stealing her car was sentenced to five to thirteen years in state prison following a guilty plea.

Xavier Eriberto Velazquez, 19, of the 500 block of Manor Street, appeared before Judge Dennis Reinaker on October 27 to receive his sentence.

Velazquez admitted to robbery of a motor vehicle, conspiracy, robbery, and carrying a firearm without a license.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa told the court that Velazquez had downplayed his involvement, claiming he only meant to steal pizza and that the gun belonged to an accomplice, Matthew Reyes.

According to court testimony, Velazquez and Reyes planned the robbery with co-defendant Evian Simmons, luring the delivery driver to a home in the 100 block of East Vine Street around 2 a.m. on June 7. Ponessa said Velazquez held the gun to the driver’s head while Reyes stood nearby, and the pair then stole the driver’s possessions and her vehicle.

“The evidence is clear from the victim that [Velazquez] was the one with the gun,” Ponessa told the court, noting that the victim heard the weapon being cocked. She added that Reyes had received a four-to-eight-year sentence for his role earlier this year, despite not being armed.

After taking the car, the pair picked up Simmons and fled, leading officers on a high-speed pursuit through West Lampeter Township. At one point, the vehicle’s undercarriage struck a concrete median and caught fire, but the suspects continued fleeing, Ponessa said.

West Lampeter Township police later found the car traveling south on Willow Street Pike at a high rate of speed. A 9mm handgun was recovered inside, and Velazquez was barred from carrying a concealed weapon.

Judge Reinaker acknowledged Velazquez’s young age but said a long prison sentence was warranted due to the violence and planning involved. “Every aspect there could be to make this situation worse exists here,” the judge said. He cited Velazquez’s prior juvenile gun conviction and the deliberate nature of the crime as aggravating factors.

The judge also noted that the victim would likely live with the trauma of the armed robbery for years to come. “They thought about this,” he said of Velazquez and Reyes.

Velazquez apologized in court, saying he regrets his actions and hopes to change his life.

Simmons remains charged with three felonies related to the case and is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Lancaster City Bureau of Police Officer Steven Maenza filed the original charges.

Key Points

Xavier Velazquez sentenced to 5–13 years for armed pizza delivery car robbery.
Victim was held at gunpoint and robbed before suspects fled in her vehicle.
Judge cited prior gun offense and premeditated planning in imposing sentence.

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