EAST PITTSBURGH, Pa. — A fugitive who is accused of assaulting a seven-year-old boy was arrested by SWAT units in East Pittsburgh on Monday.
The Allegheny County Police Department said they received information that Ryan Gainer, 45, was staying in a tent in the woods near Ridge Avenue in East Pittsburgh.
SWAT units were conducting surveillance in the area when they saw Gainer leaving a house on the 500 block of Ridge Avenue. They chased him onto Electric Avenue after he took off, police say. He was arrested shortly after.
Gainer is wanted in connection with the assault of a 7-year-old boy that happened on Oct. 15 in Turtle Creek. The Eastern Mon Valley Regional Police Department investigated that incident after the boy was found with a black eye and injuries to his legs, back and arms. He was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital.
Police filed a warrant for Gainer in connection with that incident on Nov. 11
Gainer was also wanted by the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department for aggravated assault after a separate incident where officers received multiple calls about a disturbance on the 500 block of Ridge Avenue on Sept. 1.
Police said a slew of teams have aided in the investigation into Gainer, including: the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the Eastern Mon Valley Regional Police and the U.S. Marshals Western Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force.
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