Police: Young Woman Attempted Series Of Carjackings To Get To Mom's House To Use WiFi
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- New details are emerging about the young woman facing a long list of charges in a series of attempted carjackings in East Liberty.
Police have charged 19-year-old Ajanay Watson with simple assault, theft, robbery of a motor vehicle and attempting to elude a police officer.
According to the criminal complaint, Watson tried to steal the vehicles in order to get to her mother's house because she needed to use the WiFi. She told investigators she had been living on the streets for a few weeks after "having a falling out with her mother."
Police say one of the people Watson allegedly attempted to carjack was an off-duty sheriff's deputy.
Two cars were near the corner of North Beatty Street and East Liberty Boulevard.
The off-duty deputy pulled out her gun when Watson tried to get into the passenger side of her vehicle, police said. During the same time, investigators say an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer, who was also at the intersection in front of the off-duty deputy at the time, took notice of the situation.
The criminal complaint says she jumped out of her personal vehicle and pulled her gun too.
Watson ran, but not long after, officers learned Watson attempted two more carjackings, one prior to the deputy's vehicle and another after. Police say she eventually did steal a car at gunpoint from a parent waiting for his daughter outside Obama Academy.
Police say officers tried to pull Watson over in Homewood, but she took off and crashed the stolen vehicle in the Penn Hills area. That's where she was arrested.
Investigators say all of the victims and witnesses were able to positively identify her as the suspect.
During their investigation, police learned that the gun Watson had was also stolen from Penn Hills.
She is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.