Pittsburgh police are warning tow truck drivers to be extra vigilant after a group of men robbed two operators during the day near the border of East Hills and Wilkinsburg.
During each crime, one man called a tow truck driver to remove or sell a disabled car and an armed accomplice later arrived and demanded money.
Police said the suspects are believed to be in their late teens or early 20s.
Sgt. Lavonnie Bickerstaff of the robbery squad said the robbers do not appear to be targeting one towing company.
Sgt. Bickerstaff said the first robbery occurred at about 2 p.m. on Nov. 29. A tow druck driver told police he drove to the 500 block of Haverhill Street to pick up a "junk vehicle." When the driver arrived, he saw a black man who appeared to be between 18 and 25 years old, who wore a black varsity jacket, blue-and-gray patterned pants and a black tossel cap, police said.
Shortly after the driver asked the man for the title to the car, an armed man arrived and robbed him, police said. The second suspect in that case is described as a black man between 18 and 22 years old who was about 5 feet 6 inches tall, has a small build and wore a dark blue sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and blue or gray Nike sneakers. A dark blue bandana covered part of his face.
The second robbery occurred at about 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 when a tow truck driver tried to pick up a junk car in the 700 block of Fargo Street. The driver met a 5-foot-10-inch tall black man who appeared to be between 17 and 25 years old and wore a red baseball cap, black-hooded sweatshirt and jeans, police said.
While the driver was talking to that man, a second man pulled out a weapon and demanded money while a third man snuck up behind the driver and hit him in the side, according to police. The second man in that case is described as a dark-skinned black man in his late teens or early 20s who wore all black and had a well-groomed beard. The third man is described as a dark-skinned black man who is about 6 feet 1 inches tall and has a large build.
Anyone with information is asked to call the robbery squad at 412-323-7151.
In the meantime, police are urging tow truck drivers to avoid accepting work from customers who call from a blocked telephone number, to request potential customers' full names and possibly photo identification and to avoid accepting calls that seem "too good to be true."
Copyright 2011 - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
