Police: Man tries to rob woman, chases after her on bicycle in Oakland

Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh police are investigating after a man on a bicycle allegedly tried to rob a woman Saturday night in Oakland.

The incident occurred shortly after 9 p.m. in the 3600 block of Fifth Avenue, according to a university crime alert.

When officers got to the scene, they spoke with the victim who told them that she was walking in the 3600 block of Fifth Avenue when a man grabbed her shoulder from behind, causing her bag and coat to fall off. That part of Oakland is off-campus, police said.

The woman told police that she ran eastbound on Fifth Avenue towards Oakland Avenue, and the man chased after her on a bike. The man then fled on Forbes Avenue towards Bigelow Boulevard, police said.

The man didn’t show the woman a weapon, nor was the woman hurt, police said. All of the woman’s belongings were found where the attempted robbery occurred and returned to her, police said.

The man is described as Hispanic or African-American. He is 5-foot-7 with a medium build.

He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a black face mask, dark blue jeans, a black tossle cap with a gold rim and light tan boots. The bike he was riding is possibly black in color with a red blinking light, police said.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Pittsburgh Police at 412-422-6520 or University of Pittsburgh Police at 412-624-2121.