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Weekend mayhem keeps cops busy
YOUNGSTOWN
A shooting, attempted robberies and large bar crowds kept Youngstown police busy over the weekend.
Gunfire rang out early Monday, awaking a 29-year-old West Ravenwood man and his 27-year-old girlfriend. The man told police it is not uncommon to hear gunfire in the area, but he looked outside and saw a 19-year-old man with whom he is familiar running from the area.
Police checked around the house and found damage to the girlfriend’s car and a bullet hole in the house. They collected a bullet fragment as evidence.
The couple has two children staying in the house. Neither the children nor the couple were injured in the shooting.
The man told police he has been feuding with the other man for a while. He said the man previously broke into his home and pulled a gun on his girlfriend.
Police also are trying to determine who robbed a 25-year-old man visiting from Cuyahoga Falls.
According to reports, the man was walking near Market Street and Boston Avenue.
Police said the man was walking from a bar on Market Street to a gas station to buy cigarettes just before 1 a.m. Sunday when he was approached by two black males, one carrying a gun. They made the man lie on the ground, then took $40, a wallet, credit cards, a driver’s license and car keys.
The man ran back to the bar to call police. He had to arrange for a ride back to Cuyahoga Falls because the thieves stole his keys.
Thieves also tried to rob an East Side man Friday after knocking on his door asking for a cigarette.
Police said the 32-year-old man was at his Victor Street home just after 11 p.m. with a 23-year-old female friend when two teen boys knocked on the door asking for a cigarette. The couple told the teens they had no cigarettes and closed the door.
The man told police he went outside to make sure the teens had left the area, but one teen pointed a gun at him and demanded he empty his pockets. The resident refused, was struck in the head, and again told to empty his pockets.
The resident ran into his home and slammed the door. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Health Center for treatment.
Police also reported being busy with large crowds gathering at bars in the 3000 block of Market Street over the weekend. Police say calls about large crowds and problems with the bars are made on a weekly basis and it interferes with the department’s ability to respond to calls in other parts of the city.