STATEN ISLAND — An ex-con went on a two-day rampage on Staten Island, murdering two men and carjacking several more before robbing a cabbie, prosecutors said at his arraignment Friday.
Tyrell Brown, 25, was ordered held without bail after prosecutors charged him with 17 separate counts of crimes including murder, robbery and grand larceny during his arraignment at Stapleton Criminal Court, prosecutors said.
His crime spree began around 4:35 a.m. on Sunday when he robbed Devin Powell, 23, of Mariners Harbor, at gunpoint at Arlington Place and South Avenue, taking his State Benefits Card, an insurance card and cash before fatally shooting him in the head, prosecutors said.
Then, at 5:08 a.m., Brown robbed Kuwan Collins, 40, of New Jersey, outside of 367 Britton Ave. and took his cash before he fatally shot him in the head, according to court papers.
Brown then moved on to 55 Holland Ave., in Mariners Harbor, where he robbed a 29-year-old man at gunpoint. He took the man's Permanent Resident card, Social Security card and a silver bracelet before driving off in the victim's black Hummer, according to court papers.
Brown went to his home at 225 Park Hill Ave. and dropped off a white trash bag containing the identification he took from the two victims before driving the Hummer to Brooklyn, the court papers said.
He was trying to re-enter Staten Island from the Verrazano Bridge when he was pulled over by MTA police around 1:20 a.m. on Monday, police said.
He drove the Hummer away from the toll plaza, almost hitting an MTA police officer who stood in front of it, and officers fired shots at Brown, police and court documents said.
Brown drove onto the Staten Island Expressway, then hit another car as he tried to exit at Narrows Road North, according to court papers.
He abandoned the Hummer and, at 2:20 a.m. on Monday, he stopped a cab and robbed the driver at Osgood and Fairway avenues, prosecutors said.
Brown's crime spree finally ended on Tuesday when he tried to steal a motorcycle on Walker Street in Mariners Harbor at 9:40 p.m. When that failed, Brown broke into a 2013 Honda Civic parked in front of 364 Walker St., but it was a stick shift and he didn't know how to drive it, police and court papers said.
He took off on foot but police caught up with him around 10:25 p.m. near Osgood Avenue and Mosel Avenue, the NYPD said.
Police said he had eight previous arrests between 2002 and 2009. In August 2009, he was convicted of a robbery and was released from prison on May 9 this year, records show.
His other arrests include assaults, armed robbery, defacing a firearm and several other sealed records, police said.
Brown is due back in court on Monday, prosecutors said.
