BOARDMAN Teen will be charged in robbery of woman

Police are still looking for the second robber.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- A Youngstown teen will face numerous charges after township police say he assaulted and robbed a Lisbon woman then stole her car.
Detective Sgt. Steve Riwniak of the Boardman police said they will charge the 17-year-old McGuffey Road male with aggravated robbery and attempted kidnapping. He said the teen will also face additional charges in Hubbard and Youngstown.
What happened
According to Riwniak, an 18-year-old Lisbon woman pulled into the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 200 block of Mathews Road to visit friends just before 3 a.m. Tuesday. A second car pulled into the parking lot behind the woman, he said, and as she got out of her 2003 Dodge Neon, two men wearing hooded sweat shirts and rubber gloves approached her with a small handgun.
The two, Riwniak said, took the woman's money and car keys and demanded she get into the back seat of her car. She refused, and one of the men hit her in the head with the gun, he said. The woman screamed and ran, and the males took off in her car.
"There is nothing [else] she could have done," said Riwniak. "One good thing she did was scream to alert others and pay close attention to the description of those involved."
The Pontiac Bonneville the males drove into the parking lot was left behind. Riwniak said it turned out to be a stolen car.
Chase begins
Township police spotted the Neon several minutes after it was stolen and chased it through part of the township. Capt. Jack Nichols said the pursuit was called off after speeds reached above 90 mph and the males driving the Neon began to ignore stoplights and stop signs.
Riwniak said Youngstown police spotted the car just after 6 p.m. Tuesday and a second chase took place through the city and various parts of Trumbull County. He said the McGuffey Road teen jumped out of the car and ran but was caught in the rear yard of a home on East Liberty Street in Hubbard.
Riwniak said the teen was alone when the car was stopped. He said police are still investigating to identify the other male involved in the robbery.
jgoodwin@vindy.com