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Man, brother shot at by group of teens after catching them burglarizing cars in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — A man said after he caught a group of teen car burglars in the act, they shot at him.

The man and his brother spotted the teens rummaging around in cars on Greenbush Street in Mount Washington. The victims chased the burglars, who then shot at them just a few blocks away.

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But if it weren't for those victims, the teens may not have been caught.

"I looked up and the gun was in my face," said Dennis Direnna.

Direnna didn't imagine chasing down teens who broke into his girlfriend's car, and he definitely wasn't expecting to be shot at.

After Direnna and his brother followed the teens to the nearby CoGo's, there was a tussle. Then one of the suspects pulled out a gun.

"I heard his friends telling him to squeeze, and he seemed like the kid was frozen. He didn't know what to do," Direnna said.

The teens ran down Ruth Street, and Direnna and his brother followed them in their car. That's when shots were fired.

Luckily, none of the shots hit their car or injured them. Police eventually caught two of the three teens.

There have been several recent break-ins, smash and grabs and graffiti along Ruth Street. Police have not specified if they are all connected to this most recent incident.

One teen is being charged as an adult, and the other is at the Shuman Center.

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