Oakland robbers act again

By: Liz Navratil / News Editor

Posted on 25. Apr, 2009 in Uncategorized

Police are seeking the people responsible for five armed robberies that have

occured in Oakland this week.

The most recent robbery occurred last night at the corner of Schenley Drive

and Frew Street, near the CMU campus. Another was reported on Howe Street in

Shadyside.

These robberies come after three other armed robberies that have occured in

the past three days.

People were robbed on the corner of Bigelow Boulevard and Bayard Street, by

the Chevron Science Center, and near the intersection of Bates Street and

Oakland Avenue Tuesday night.

Another robbery happened on the corner of Semple Street shortly after

midnight Wednesday.

'They're getting ATM cards, iPods, whatever they can get off the kids,' said

Pitt police chief Tim Delaney. The robbers asked one victim for his car

keys, he added.

Delaney said that none of the victims, at least two of which may have been

Pitt students, required hospitalization, but one was pushed to the ground.

Detective Donald Pasquarelli, of the city police, said he believes that two

people - a black man between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10 inches tall and another

black man between 6-foot and 6-foot-2-inches tall - are responsible for the

first three robberies. He said police think that the shorter of the two

suspects carried the weapon, a black handgun.

Delaney said it looks like the same men may have been responsible for the

latest two robberies, but that he wouldn't rule out the idea of copycats

doing them either.

He said these cases may be difficult to solve because 'we're losing a lot of

students here,' because they're moving back home for the summer. 'We're

losing a lot of witnesses,' he said.

Delaney declined to go into specific detail about how the police are

searching for these individuals, because he didn't want to interfere with

the investigation. He did say, however, that Pitt police are teaming with

the plainsclothes officers from the city police as well as CMU police to

catch the robbers.

Police are seeking the people responsible for five armed robberies that have

occured in Oakland this week.

The most recent robbery occurred last night at the corner of Schenley Drive

and Frew Street, near the CMU campus. Another was reported on Howe Street in

Shadyside.

These robberies come after three other armed robberies that have occured in

the past three days.

People were robbed on the corner of Bigelow Boulevard and Bayard Street, by

the Chevron Science Center, and near the intersection of Bates Street and

Oakland Avenue Tuesday night.

Another robbery happened on the corner of Semple Street shortly after

midnight Wednesday.

'They're getting ATM cards, iPods, whatever they can get off the kids,' said

Pitt police chief Tim Delaney. The robbers asked one victim for his car

keys, he added.

Delaney said that none of the victims, at least two of which may have been

Pitt students, required hospitalization, but one was pushed to the ground.

Detective Donald Pasquarelli, of the city police, said he believes that two

people - a black man between 5-foot-7 and 5-foot-10 inches tall and another

black man between 6-foot and 6-foot-2-inches tall - are responsible for the

first three robberies. He said police think that the shorter of the two

suspects carried the weapon, a black handgun.

Delaney said it looks like the same men may have been responsible for the

latest two robberies, but that he wouldn't rule out the idea of copycats

doing them either.

He said these cases may be difficult to solve because 'we're losing a lot of

students here,' because they're moving back home for the summer. 'We're

losing a lot of witnesses,' he said.

Delaney declined to go into specific detail about how the police are

searching for these individuals, because he didn't want to interfere with

the investigation. He did say, however, that Pitt police are teaming with

the plainsclothes officers from the city police as well as CMU police to

catch the robbers.