Pitt police issue crime alert after attempted robbery

By Mary Rose O'Donnell, Assistant News Editor

Pitt police issued a crime alert Saturday detailing an attempted robbery.

Pitt and City police both responded to the incident, which occurred Saturday at about 9:04 p.m. on the 3600 block of Fifth Avenue.

According to the alert, the female victim said she was walking on Fifth Avenue when an unknown male came from behind and grabbed her shoulder, causing her bag and coat to fall off. The victim said she then ran towards Oakland Avenue while the suspect chased after her on a bike. The suspect later fled on Forbes Avenue towards Bigelow Boulevard on a bike. No injuries were reported and nothing was taken from the victim.

The alert described the suspect as a Hispanic or African American male about 5 feet 7 inches with a medium build. The suspect was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black face mask, dark blue jeans, black “tossel” cap with a gold rim and light tan boots. The bike he was riding was possibly black in color with a red blinking light.

The police departments are asking that anyone with information regarding the incident call the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police Zone 4 at 412-422-6520 and reference CCR #20-042088, or Pitt police at 412-624-2121 and reference report #20-00757.

Pitt students can register for crime alerts, which are separate from the University’s Emergency Notification Service, through the Rave website by selecting “Crime Alerts” under opt-in lists.