Police: Suspect ID'd after his Social Security card found in confiscated bag of drugs
Allegheny Township police say they were able to identify a suspect who gave them a fake name when they found a satchel of drugs on him with his Social Security card inside the bag.
Antwuan Duane Berry, 25, of Broadway Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood was charged with felony flight to avoid apprehension, along with lesser charges of defiant trespass, false identification to law enforcement, resisting arrest and three drug possession charges in connection with the incident, according to a criminal complaint.
Berry is being detained in the Westmoreland County Jail in Greensburg after failing to post a $30,000 cash bond. He faces a preliminary hearing on the charges before District Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec on Dec. 28.
Police said the incident began when an officer on patrol shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday spotted a man standing near the management building of the Sandalwood Apartments along Sandalwood Drive.
When asked to identify himself, Berry gave police a name and date of birth for which there was no record, according to the complaint.
Officers said Berry was carrying a satchel-style bag in which they found three plastic bags of suspected marijuana, a bag of suspected cocaine and a digital scale.
Berry ran when an officer tried to place him in handcuffs but was able to get only about 30 feet away before being stopped, the complaint said.
While logging the drugs into evidence, an officer found a Social Security card in the satchel that they used to identify Berry.
They were able to determine he was wanted in Allegheny County on multiple arrest warrants, according to the complaint.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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