Robbery, carjacking and car chase keep Youngstown police busy

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — City police are investigating a robbery, carjacking and a car chase — all in the space of less than 24 hours. The incidents, all occurring Friday, were detailed in Youngstown police weekend reports.

In the first, a 31-year-old Poland man told officers he left a downtown restaurant around 2 a.m. and was headed for his car when he was accosted by a man wielding a knife and demanding money. After the man handed over his wallet, the thief demanded the man’s keys and ordered him to get into the backseat of his own car; the man complied. He was able to escape when the carjacker slowed down after driving around for about 10 minutes. The thief got away with the car, a 2004 Hyundai Sante Fe, and about $40. The car was later recovered in a field near Albert Street.

By 4:30 p.m., officers were investigating a robbery on Salt Springs Road. Reports say a 34-year-old Boardman man told police he was in the process of dropping a friend off when another car nearly ran him off the road. The man said he pulled into a vacant lot to discuss the matter, but the other driver emerged wearing a knitted cap made into a ski mask and demanded money. Reports say the victim handed over $50. The man’s friend was trying to call 911, but the masked thief snatched the phone and threw it into the air before returning to his car and fleeing the area.

Around 8:40 p.m., officers received a call about a man breaking a window at a downtown clothing store and running off with a suit, leaving blood on the window. Officers checked the area and found the man sitting in a dark-blue car. The man, seeing officers in the area, sped off, leading officers on a short chase until he wrecked the car and began to run. He was arrested after a short fight with officers from several departments, but refused to give his name and is now listed as “John Doe.” The car driven by the unidentified man was discovered to have been stolen out of Akron. Police found a white blood-stained suit, dress shirt and Stetson hat from the downtown store inside the car.