Two thefts continue Oakland crime streak

A home on the 300 block of Meyran Avenue was burglarized early Tuesday morning, making it the second burglary this semester and the 25th this academic year.

According to a Pitt police crime alert, the burglary occurred sometime between 5:30 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. The burglar broke the front door, entered the apartment and stole a laptop. The resident — a Pitt student — was not home at the time, and there were no injuries reported.

Pitt spokesperson Joe Miksch said Pitt police will assist city police in investigating the burglary, and Pitt police will continue extra patrols in South Oakland. In November, city police spokesperson Emily Schaffer told The Pitt News city police were also increasing patrols in the area, though she would not disclose details about the patrols because of officer safety.

The Tuesday morning burglary is the second of the semester and one of more than 20 burglaries in South and Central Oakland since the summer — the majority of which occurred between October and December.
The most recent burglary before Tuesday’s occurred sometime over Pitt’s winter break, between Dec. 22, and Jan. 4. A Pitt student returned to his residence on Semple Street to find his Xbox and television missing.

In December, city police arrested two people — 18-year-old Jamal Kyte-Saverly and an unnamed 17-year-old man — in connection with a burglary on the 300 block of Meyran Avenue on Dec. 1. Kyte-Saverly was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit burglary and overnight accommodation with person present, one count of theft by unlawful taking, one count of burglary and four counts of receiving stolen property.
There are no suspect descriptions for the other burglaries except for a Nov. 10 incident on the 3400 block of Ward Street. The crime alert described the suspect as a black male, 20 to 25 years of age with a slender build, about 6-foot and as having short, curly, dread-like hair. In the past, Pitt and city police have said they are investigating the burglaries separately.

Pitt police and city police also responded to a report of an armed robbery at a business on the 300 block of Atwood Street on Wednesday evening. Victims reported the suspect came into the store, pointed a black and silver handgun at them and demanded cash. Once they had taken the money, the suspect fled to a nearby waiting vehicle on Atwood Street. Pitt police’s crime alert describes the suspect as a thin black male in his late 20s to early 30s. He was wearing a black coat, pants and jacket, with his face possibly covered with a black bandana.

The police departments are asking that anyone with information regarding any of the incidents call the Pittsburgh Police Department at 412-422-6520 or Pitt police at 412-624-2121.