Crime & Safety

Neighbors Help Track Armed Man in Brookline

Police arrested a man neighbors reportedly saw in the neighborhood with a gun.

Neighbors on alert helped police catch an armed man in Brookline last week.

According to the report from Pittsburgh Police, Zone 6 officers responded to the 600 block of Perrilyn Street just after 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 12 for a report of a burglary in progress.

Officers were flagged down by the caller, who told police a black male arrived at the house and attempted to enter by trying all the doors and windows. The caller also told police he had called his roommate, who owns the residence, and told him someone was attempting to get in.

The caller told police that right after the conversation with his roommate, he heard a downstairs window shatter and said the black male—later identified as Johnny Palmer, 27, of Brownsville Road—started climbing through the window. According to the report, the caller chased Palmer out of his home.

According to the police report, officers were approached at the scene by other neighbors, who said there was a black male in a blue or black sweatshirt standing outside of another address in the 600 block of Perrilyn Street with a gun in his hand, and who ran into the bushes and behind the house as police arrived.

Responding backup units cleared the first residence with negative results. 
Based on information received from neighbors that Palmer might have entered  a second residence in the 600 block of Perrilyn Street, officers tried to make contact by ringing the bell of the second residence and knocking several times, with negative results.

Police established a perimeter around that residence, and after attempting to make contact for about 20 minutes, Palmer exited the residence and was taken into custody. He was taken to Allegheny County Jail and charged with burglary.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.