Five Juveniles, Ages 12-15, Arrested For String Of Carjackings On East End
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh Police arrested five suspects in an alleged carjacking ring on the East End on Wednesday, and the alleged leader is just 14 years old.
The suspects range in age from 12 to 15 years old.
According to police, officers were called to the 7300 block of Reynolds Street on Tuesday afternoon for a reported carjacking.
The 66-year-old victim told police they had been assaulted and physically removed from their vehicle by three male juveniles.
"Yesterday around 1:30 p.m., zone officers were dispatched over to the point breeze area near Frick Park for a report of a 66-year-old man that was carjacked," Commander Jason Lando said. "He was removed from his car by a group of juveniles. Removed by force, assaulted and then the juveniles made off with his vehicle."
Officers asked nearby construction workers to watch for a blue 2015 Subaru Forester. Just before 5 p.m., construction workers alerted police that they had seen a vehicle matching the description.
Police caught up to the vehicle on Monticello Street, where four males and a female got out and fled. All five juveniles were quickly apprehended.
The driver has only been identified as a 14-year-old male. During the course of their investigation, police determined the male was also involved in a two carjackings on Monday.
In one incident, a 75-year-old man was carjacked in the 500 block of South Murtland Avenue. The other incident happened in the Bakery Square parking garage. The victim in that incident was a 68-year-old female.
"We do believe at least one of the people in the car yesterday, the one we arrested, the driver, the 14-year-old driver … we have information that leads us to believe that he is involved in all three of these" Lando said.
Surveillance footage of the Bakery Square incident showed the teen wearing a shirt, which was found in the Forester. A bystander also took a picture of the teen just before the carjacking involving the Forester.
The teen is now being held in the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center.