Police: Harrison robbery suspect held gun to man's head because he wanted money for snacks

A 17-year-old from Sheldon Park told police he attacked a man outside a pizza shop in Harrison early Friday because he needed money for snacks.

He is charged with aggravated assault, conspiracy, receiving stolen property, drug and gun charges. Bail was denied, and he remains in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 1.

Police were called to J&S Pizza in the Heights Plaza Shopping Center about 4:30 a.m. for the report of an assault. According to the youth’s arrest papers, a man who had been running a leaf blower on the sidewalk outside the pizza shop said he was attacked.

The man said he was rushed by one male who sucker punched him in the face, and another male pointed a gun at him.

The man told police he was struck three more times in the back of the head.

The attackers then fled in a silver car headed toward Tarentum on Freeport Road.

Using license plate reading cameras, police identified the car as a Toyota Scion, which was spotted at 5:22 a.m. by a Tarentum police officer. It was pulled over in the 200 block of West Eighth Avenue, and the officers took the males inside it into custody.

Police said they found a silver revolver sticking out from underneath the front passenger seat, as well as a box of ammunition inside an open book bag on the passenger seat. The gun and the box of ammunition, the complaint said, had been reported stolen in a home invasion in Harrison on March 8.

Officers also found suspected marijuana, a digital scale, a Mason jar of suspected cannabis butter and clear plastic sandwich bags, police said.

When officers interviewed the 17-year-old, he told them he had the gun and put it to the alleged victim’s head a few times.

“(He) stated that he did this because he needed some money for snacks,” the complaint said.

Information about the other suspect was not available.