Police seek leads in weekend robberies


Armed robbers took the clothes of their victims.

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

YOUNGSTOWN — City police are looking for leads to make arrests in two weekend robberies involving firearms.

According to police, a 25-year-old South Side woman told police she was leaving a Hillman Street jazz bar just before 2 a.m. Monday when she was robbed of her purse and keys to her car and home.

The woman told police she left the business and was walking to her car, which was parked in the 100 block of Falls Avenue. The woman, reports said, made it to her car and shut the door only to have the door snatched open by a man holding a handgun.

The woman told police the man said, “Give me your purse now!” He then snatched the bag and ran off toward Falls. The woman told police she noticed the man in the bar and has seen him there before.

The thief is described as a black man about 6 feet 2 inches tall and about 180 pounds. He is believed to be in his 30s and was wearing eyeglasses.

Police also are investigating the carjacking of a Girard man and Girard juvenile on the city’s South Side late Friday. The thieves were acquainted with the robbery victims, police said.

According to police, the 19-year-old man and 17-year-old boy went to a home on Judson Avenue with a group of friends just before midnight Friday. Two people at the house asked the man for a ride, and the man agreed.

The man told police a gun was placed to the back of his head as he drove the men to the store. The man and one of his friends were ordered out of the car and told to strip out of their clothes.

The two men took the clothes the victims were wearing then drove off in the car. The thieves also stole cell phones and wallets belonging to the victims.

The victims ran to a house on Elbertus Avenue, where the residents provided them with clothes and called police.

One suspect is described as a white male in his early 20s who is believed to be a Girard resident. The second suspect is a black male about 25 who is believed to live somewhere in the Judson Avenue area.

jgoodwin@vindy.com