WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. -- Police are looking for a man who they said held up a hotel at the Waterfront in Homestead and fired upon police, nearly hitting an officer.
A man walked into the lobby of the Courtyard by Marriot hotel in West Homestead and demanded money Friday at 11 p.m. As the man fled, he fired at police on an entrance ramp to the Parkway East, where police are believed to have lost track of the suspect near the Allegheny County Jail.
A single bullet hole remains on a Homestead police cruiser as officers continue gather leads and search for a suspect.
"The suspect continued on and the other unit either lost him going toward Monroeville or Pittsburgh at that point in time," Homestead Police Chief Jeff DeSimone said.
DeSimone said the deflection of the bullet against the windshield may have saved the officer's life. The chief said the officer is doing well, suffering from bumps and bruises.
"Luckily enough, when it (the bullet) exited on the inside, the trajectory changed so the bullet shot up, skimmed across the headliner and ultimately bounced off the back railing of the cage," DeSimone said.
Over the past couple years, several shootings have occurred at the Waterfront plaza area, but the police chief called those isolated incidents, saying the shopping center remains very safe.
"It could in Miami where they met, it could have been anywhere, and the unfortunate part is it was here, but I think people make an issue of it that the safety in the Waterfront is lacking, it's totally false," DeSimone said.
Police continued Saturday to search for a dark-skinned black man who has a beard and was last seen wearing a hooded sweatshirt, a fishing cap and black pants.
Investigators said the man was last seen driving a stolen 1995 gold GMC pickup truck with a Pennsylvania license plate RR33S6.
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