PITTSBURGH — Officers conducting a traffic stop in Pittsburgh’s Fineview neighborhood quickly found themselves in a completely different situation as 12 to 15 gunshots were fired in close proximity to the officers.
Those shots were so close that officers ducked for cover, thinking they were the intended targets. It soon became apparent they were not, however, and the officers gave chase to the suspects on foot.
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According to a release from city police, the officers conducted a traffic stop in the area of Sandusky Court in Fineview when the gunfire happened nearby just before 1 a.m.
“The officers soon realized they were not the intended targets and began running toward the sound of gunfire,” the release said.
The officers observed three black men and gave chase. During the chase, an additional two or three gunshots were heard coming from a nearby wooded area.
Officers in the 1600 block of Meadville Street apprehended suspect Denzel Tomlin, 18, of Fineview. He was transported to Allegheny General Hospital for treatment after being bitten by a police dog.
A second suspect, 18-year-old Damon Johnson, was apprehended without incident in the 1600 block of Myler Street, while a third suspect, 18-year-old Lance Rucker, was apprehended nearby without incident.
A search of the area uncovered the three handguns used during the incident.
The three men are charged with recklessly endangering another person, loitering and prowling at night, criminal conspiracy, discharging a firearm and tampering with physical evidence.
WPXI
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