Man wanted in multiple recent crimes, including armed carjacking, kidnapping taken into custody

PITTSBURGH — A man has been arrested in connection to multiple recent crimes, including an armed carjacking and the kidnapping of a woman in a Pittsburgh parking garage.

Michael Lipovsik III, 25, was taken into custody on Tuesday.

“He said he would shoot if I did not let him in,” said Laura Stuart.

Over the phone, Stuart shared what happened to her in a parking garage on Smithfield Street. She says a man came up to her car and pointed a gun in her face.

“Normally, I wouldn’t let anyone in my car,” said Stuart. “It’s a whole different scenario when someone has a gun in your face, and you don’t know what’s going on in his head.”

Once he was in her car, she says he forced her into the passenger seat.

“In my opinion, I was trying to respond to him as calm as possible because he had a gun, and I didn’t know what he was thinking. I said to him, I will give you money. I am fine with that I want my life in exchange.”

Stuart says she got him to drive to an ATM in the South Side. She took out $300. She gave it to him and said he ran off.

“This has definitely changed me,” said Stuart. “Think of your surroundings to the fullest. Like now, I’m looking back and thinking, ‘Why didn’t I just get in my car and just leave as soon as possible?’ Since I kind of felt it was a bad area.”

Stuart says she’ll never forget his face. She recognized Lipovsik’s mugshot from recent news stories. Allegheny County police had been looking for him in connection to recent robberies in the Waterfront that happened the day after the alleged kidnapping. Pittsburgh police arrested Lipovsik on Tuesday in Greentree after they say he stole a woman’s car that was parked outside of the O’Reilly Theater Downtown. Police tracked the car, pulled him over and identified him as the man wanted by county police.

“I hope he gets help, yes, but I also hope that they keep him in prison for a good while because this is not something anyone needs to go through,” said Stuart.

Lipovsik is currently facing 30 charges for these three different crimes. He’s currently in the Allegheny County Jail, unable to post pond.

In a statement, Allegheny County police said:

“We’re grateful for those in the community that assisted in our search for the suspect and our law enforcement partners with Pittsburgh police who helped make sure this individual was captured as soon as possible.”

The city of Pittsburgh also released this statement:

“The City is always concerned about its residents, which is why we aim to make this the safest city in America. This isolated incident is not an indication of the safety of the garages nor the restroom located in the Smithfield Garage. This incident actually has nothing to do with the restroom. Rather, an individual wanted for several crimes targeted someone heading to their vehicle. The Parking Authority has listed that in case of an emergency, each floor in the garage under their authority is equipped with a clearly marked Panic Alarm Button. Which when pressed will sound throughout the facility. A security guard and/or a garage attendant will respond since there is 24/7 security in each garage.”

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