Man Charged After Alleged Attack on Business Owner

A Brookline man faces charges after police said he attacked a Dormont business owner with a broom handle on May 6.

Mahdi Ghasempour, 51, of Brookline, was charged with aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person after an incident in the 1400 block of Potomac Avenue just before 11 a.m.

According to the report by Dormont police, Ghasempour was dressed only in plaid shorts, with no shirt, socks or shoes, and was carrying a five-foot long broom handle, with which he allegedly chased and attempted to strike the owner of Woven Rug Gallery.

Police said the suspect believed the victim owed him money.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 16 at 1:30 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge Blaise P. Larotonda.

Also in the blotter:

May 5

• Bradley Borg, 23, of Dormont, was arrested and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct after police said he was involved in a fight with a neighbor. According to the police report, Borg and several juveniles were playing basketball behind a home in the 2700 block of Connecticut Avenue when an older neighbor asked them to move the hoop away from parked cars. Witnesses told police Borg yelled obscenities at the neighbor, who yelled back at Borg, and that Borg then went onto the neighbor's porch and punched him several times. The neighbor was treated at St. Clair Hospital. Borg was taken to Allegheny County Jail.

May 6

• A vehicle was reportedly scratched with a key while parked in the 1400 block of Greenmont Avenue.

May 7

• Police responded to the 2800 block of Broadway Avenue for a report that a stolen BMW had been found in the area. The car was towed and will be processed by police.

May 8

• A man told police a ladder with an attached boat dock line was stolen from his truck while parked in front of his home in the 1200 block of Biltmore Avenue. Police are investigating the theft.

• Officers responded to the 2800 block of Broadway Avenue for a report of a possible burglary at a vacant building next door to Albert's Bar. According to the police report, a window of the vacant building was broken out, but the front door was still locked and it did not appear that anyone had entered the building.

This information was supplied by Dormont Police. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

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