PENNSYLVANIA — A man is facing multiple charges after allegedly attempting to stab another person at a gas station in Tarentum before stealing the victim’s minivan early Friday morning, according to authorities.
Officials said police were called to a Marathon gas station in Tarentum shortly after 3:30 a.m. following reports of an assault.
According to a criminal complaint cited by Tribune-Review, the victim told police he was pumping gas when a man wearing heavy clothing and a camouflage face covering approached him and walked past. When the man returned, the victim reported seeing a knife and said the suspect attempted to stab him.
The victim told police he moved backward to avoid the attack, tripped over a curb, and fell. He suffered injuries to his wrist and back, officials said. The suspect then allegedly got into the victim’s vehicle—a 2010 Dodge Caravan—and drove away toward Route 28.
Police later identified the suspect as Robert Matthew Harmon, 35, who authorities said has an active arrest warrant in Pittsburgh and a suspended driver’s license related to a prior DUI conviction. Officials said the victim’s cellphone was inside the stolen vehicle. Allegheny County officials later tracked the phone to the area near the Three Rivers Trail and Scenic Overlook parking area in Oakland.
Investigators reviewed surveillance video from the gas station, which showed the suspect had been dropped off around 2:50 a.m. Police were able to identify and contact the owner of the vehicle that dropped him off. That person told officers they had transported Harmon from a Sheetz in Lower Burrell to the Marathon station after asking for his identification, according to the complaint.
Tarentum police have charged Harmon with aggravated assault, robbery of a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property, terroristic threats, and simple assault. As of Saturday evening, officials said Harmon had not been taken into custody.
