Gateway football standout faces trial in alleged armed robbery
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A Gateway football player will face trial after his alleged involvement in an armed robbery.
Jaquan Thomas, 18, was arrested in September and charged with six felonies in connection with the Aug. 11 incident.
All of the charges filed against him, including robbery, theft and criminal conspiracy, were held in court during an Oct. 21 preliminary hearing, according to court dockets.
Thomas posted bail in September.
The school district was not immediately available to comment. It is not clear if Thomas is still a student at the school or if he is a current member of the football team.
Thomas allegedly robbed two people at gunpoint at the Cambridge Square Apartments in Monroeville after he and another man arranged to buy shoes and a backpack from Matthew Gavaghan and Nolan Johngarlo, according to court documents.
The victims told police they were lured inside an apartment when Thomas pulled a gun on Johngarlo and demanded he hand over his wallet, a smart phone, a Rolex watch and a gun, totaling around $3,000. A second person was pointing a gun to his head, Gavaghan told police.
Johngarlo and Gavaghan ran from the scene in opposite directions — Gavaghan told police he heard two gunshots as he ran toward Mosside Boulevard, where he eventually flagged down a police officer. Johngarlo was located by police outside the entrance of Monroeville Community Park off Tilbrook Road.
The victims told police they didn’t know Thomas personally, but that they knew he was a Gateway High School senior and a football player.
Thomas was a starting wide receiver and defensive back for Gateway, one of the top teams in WPIAL Class 5A. The fifth-year senior had exhausted his athletic eligibility after last season but Gateway’s administration requested a hardship waiver that gave Thomas an additional year of football.
The WPIAL held an eligibility hearing for Thomas in July and granted his waiver. He caught a touchdown in Gateway’s season opener against Mt. Lebanon, a 46-20 victory Aug. 23.
Monroeville police Chief Doug Cole did not respond to requests for comment.