PITTSBURGH — Two teenage boys are accused of trying to carjack someone in a busy shopping plaza in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood in the middle of the day.
Police said the carjacking attempt happened outside the McDonald’s on Penn Avenue shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Several shoppers in the Village of Eastside plaza were a little uneasy after hearing about the incident.
“That’s insane, in a busy area like this,” said Geethu Eype of Downtown Pittsburgh.
Another woman said, “It’s happened before so I wasn’t surprised.”
Police said witnesses saw two teenage boys trying to steal the car out of the parking lot, but the victim fought back. The driver somehow managed to get the two would-be thieves out of the car and stop them. The victim drove away unscathed.
“I’m just lost for words because you think it would be more prevalent in more quieter areas,” Eype said.
Not too long after, police were called, and officers spotted the pair. That’s when the teens started running away heading toward Center Avenue. They didn’t get far.
Port Authority Police chased the teens down, tased one of them and arrested them.
“I feel like if one person’s caught, at least it might be a message for people who are thinking about it to stay away from doing things like that,” Eype said.
One of the boys went to the hospital to be checked out after he was tased.
According to police, charges against the teens are pending.
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