A Lancaster city juvenile was sentenced to 2-5 years in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to armed robbery and related charges from a September 2023 incident near the Manor Shopping Center.

Jovani Colon, 16, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery – threatening immediate serious bodily injury, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm by a minor, and terroristic threats before Lancaster County Judge Dennis Reinaker on Feb. 15, 2024.

On Sept. 25, 2023, at approximately 9:11 p.m., the Manheim Township Police Department was dispatched to the home of the victim, who reported at approximately 6:40 p.m. he was riding his gas-powered minibike in the 1200 block of Millersville Pike and came to a stop across from the Manor Shopping Center.

The victim reported he was approached by a group of three males, one of whom was Colon. The victim recognized Colon by his nickname, “Swervo.” The victim recognized he was going to be confronted by the group and disabled the minibike via a kill switch and kicked the drive chain from the sprocket to immobilize it.

The victim stated Colon unnaturally kept his hands in his pockets until closing the distance between the two and producing a black semi-automatic handgun from the pocket, pointing it at the victim’s head, and demanding him to “get off this bike right now.”

Colon then told the victim “You’ve got 10 seconds to run or I’m going to blow your head off.” The victim fled on foot and looked back to see Colon attempting to start the bike. The victim eventually returned to the area with his father to check for the bike, which was found in the general area of where the victim left it.

Police spoke with Colon five days later and he acknowledged his involvement in the incident, stating he believed the victim was aligned with a different male who he had previous issues with.

Assistant District Attorney Janie Swinehart filed charges and prosecuted the case.

Manheim Township Police Department Officer Kenneth Smith filed charges.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.