Family Of Home Invasion Suspect Beaten With Bat Says He Is Also A Victim
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The family of a man charged in a bizarre home invasion says he is also a victim, brutally beaten with a baseball bat after a homeowner accused him of breaking in and stabbing him.
KDKA's Kym Gable talked to relatives of 30-year-old Michael Pistorius, charged in a Tuesday robbery and assault on Walton Avenue in Carrick.
He's accused of crawling through a pet door and holding his ex-boss at knife-point, demanding money owed for a construction job.
"I think he went there to try to collect his money and when they wasn't trying to give him his money, he got upset," sister Chris Pistorius said. "Maybe [he] threatened him. I don't think he threatened them with a knife or anything."
She claims her brother would never fit through a dog door. She believes he entered through the front door and asked for his cash.
Frank Comport told police he awoke to find an enraged Pistorius in his living room, holding a knife.
"I thought it was the dog coming through the door. Here's a crazy man with a knife standing over us while we're sleeping," he said. "It was terrifying. It was the most terrifying thing I ever went through."
Comport's girlfriend ran for help and a neighbor came over with a bat. The fight spilled into the street.
Pistorius was badly beaten. He's in critical condition at UPMC Mercy Hospital.
"He's on a breathing machine. They had to cut a part of his skull our because of his brain swelling," said Chris Pistorius.
Pistorius' cousin posed the question, "What is being done with the man who brutally beat my cousin and is in the hospital fighting for his life."
"We need answers," said Melissa Esplen.
She says her cousin left the car running right in front of Comport's home and that a female friend was in the passenger seat.
The family has been calling police and the District Attorney. They also plan to get an attorney.
Chris Pistorius broke down talking about her brother's injuries.
"If he dies, that's going to be hard 'cause that's my favorite brother," she said.
RELATED LINKS:
Police: Suspect Breaks Into Ex-Boss' House With Knife, Through Doggy Door (7/8/14)
More Reports by Kym Gable
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