Men accused in 2 separate armed robbery attempts in Arnold arrested

ARNOLD, Pa. — Arnold police arrested two men Monday night and charged them with trying to rob two people at gunpoint during separate incidents.

Just before 5 p.m. Monday a man reported he was pistol-whipped when two men attempted to rob him at Fifth Avenue and 14th Street, investigators said. The man told police that nothing was stolen before the assailants fled.

The victim, whose name has not been released, went to the Arnold Stop-N-Go convenience store on Constitution Boulevard to call 911.

As Patrolman Ryan Olszewski was interviewing the victim at the store, Patrolman David Clouse began looking for the would-be robbers.

Clouse was flagged down by a woman who said she was hit in the chest with a gun by two men who stole her purse on 15th Street.

Clouse soon spotted one suspect, Maurico Avent, 30, of Arnold, and arrested him after a short foot pursuit.

The second suspect, a 16-year-old boy from Arnold, was found just before 7 p.m. in the area of Fourth Avenue and 15th Street, police said. The boy‘s name has not released.

The juvenile was the suspect identified as wielding a pistol, so he will be charged with armed robbery, Olszewski said.

Channel 11's Courtney Brennan reported that police said the teen will be charged as an adult because of how violent the attempted robberies were.

Avent will be charged with robbery and possession of a small amount of marijuana, Olszewski said.

The woman’s purse was not recovered as of Monday evening. Neither victim was reported to be injured.

Channel 11's news exchange partners at TribLIVE contributed to this report.

WPXI