A truck driver who was resting in an abandoned lot was shot in the head during an attempted robbery yesterday which later prompted a stand off situation with a SWAT team.
Trucker Approached By Armed Man In Parking Lot
The attempted robbery happened around 3 p.m. in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. A Werner truck driver was resting in the secluded parking lot of the East Hills Shopping Center in preparation for making a delivery in Harrisburg later that evening.
The driver said that an armed man approached his truck and attempted to rob him. When the trucker told the would-be robber that he had no money, the man fired a shot through the driver’s side window and then fled the scene.
The bullet grazed the trucker’s head. He was later taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay.
Witness Reports Lead To Two Hour SWAT Standoff
Witnesses claimed that they saw the shooter take off toward a nearby neighborhood, so a K-9 unit was called in to investigate. The dog tracked the shooter’s scent to a home on Bracey Drive, in East Hills. Police believed that the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home and called in a SWAT team.
After a two hour stand off, the SWAT team was able to apprehend two individuals. They were taken to the Penn Hills Police Department for questioning. After speaking with the two individuals, police determined that they had nothing to do with the trucker’s shooting and released them.
Shooter Is Still At Large
Police say that they are “back to square one” and will be looking for surveillance video and witnesses to the shooting.
The shooter is described as a black male, 5’6″, with dreadlocks with blond tips wearing all black.
DEVELOPING: Trucker who had parked his rig in Penn Hills 2 rest before driving to Harrisburg hurt in holdup attempt pic.twitter.com/I3mokBhEMP
— Ralph Iannotti (@IannottiRalph) October 12, 2016
UPDATE: Search continues for suspect after attempted robbery of truck driver in Penn Hills shopping lot pic.twitter.com/GcnimTqfom
— Ralph Iannotti (@IannottiRalph) October 13, 2016
Sources:
WPXI
WTAE
Trib Live
CBS Pittsburgh