Man pistol-whipped during armed robbery in Pittsburgh neighborhood

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh police are investigating after a man was robbed at gunpoint in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood.

Pittsburgh Public Safety officials say officers responded to the 300 block of Morewood Ave. around 12:45 a.m. Sunday for reports of an armed robbery.

Officers found the victim, a man in his early 20s, on the sidewalk.

According to police, the victim was walking home when a man approached him and demanded he surrender valuables. Police say the suspect also fired several shots into the air.

After the victim complied with the suspect’s demands, police say the suspect pistol-whipped him over the head.

The victim had facial lacerations and a potential head injury, so he was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Carnegie Mellon University juniors Edwin Chen and Suhaas Sontyana said they were having a fun weekend out with CMU alumni when it suddenly turned violent. When they got to their Morewood Avenue home early Sunday morning, they saw blood on the floor.

“We were freaking out because we live right here too, so it’s kind of a scary situation,” Chen said.

The pair quickly found out one of their fraternity brothers was beaten and robbed a few doors down on the sidewalk.

“He was just mad that they were walking too close to his car or something,” said Chen. “[The suspect] came out with a gun, shot a few shots in the air and then just hit one of our brothers in our fraternity and then left.”

Pitt sophomore Anna Cavanaugh said she was just getting off the bus when she walked into the crime scene.

“You see a bunch of cop cars on your street and you kind of worry or panic,” she said. “Very scary.”

Cavanaugh said police walked her home. She lives just a couple hundred feet away from where the armed robbery happened.

“He got me home safely, which I’m very thankful for,” said Cavanaugh. “I was watching them put the police tape up down by that roadwork sign.”

University of Pittsburgh junior Halla Shaikh got an alert on her phone warning students to stay away from the area.

“I was really shocked and just astounded and kind of afraid to hear that something like that could happen literally on the exact route that I sometimes walk home from,” Shaikh said.

The victim’s fraternity brothers say he just graduated from CMU last year and was in town catching up with friends.

“We wish him the best,” said CMU Junior Suhaas Sontyana. “He’s a good friend to us and he’s a good friend to the entire fraternity. He’s a very likable person.”

The victim’s friends said he’s out of the hospital and is recovering.

University of Pittsburgh police, in an emergency alert, identified the suspect as a Black man in his early 20s or early 30s. He has long hair and was last seen wearing all black clothing. He left the scene in a black car of unknown make or model with a woman in the driver seat.

Anyone with information should contact Pittsburgh police.

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