Morning Roundup: 2 men stabbed in Pitcairn; rape suspect taken into custody in Penn Hills
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Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Jan. 9:
2 men stabbed in Pitcairn
Two men were stabbed in Pitcairn on Wednesday night, according to Allegheny County Police.
Police said they were notified of an alleged assault at 7:16 p.m. in the 300 block of Broadway Boulevard.
On arrival, first responders found a 67-year-old man and a 65-year-old man with non-life-threatening stab wounds, police said. They were both taken to an area hospital and are in stable condition.
A borough official told TribLive news partner WTAE that the two men got into an argument and stabbed one another.
Detectives are investigating.
Penn Hills man accused of rape taken into custody
A 38-year-old Penn Hills man charged with rape was taken into custody Wednesday night, according to the Allegheny County sheriff’s office.
Raymond Byrdsong Jr. is facing a number of charges, including felony counts of rape, aggravated indecent assault and sexual assault in connection to a Dec. 12 incident, said Sheriff’s spokesman Mike Manko.
A woman told police that Byrdsong forced her into the basement of her home and sexually assaulted her before she was able to escape and go to her mother’s house to call for help, Manko said. Penn Hills Police responded to the woman’s residence and saw Byrdsong outside of the residents inside a vehicle.
Police attempted to get Byrdsong out of the vehicle, but the car drove away and he had been on the run since, Manko said.
Earlier this week, Penn Hills requested assistance from the Sheriff’s Office to locate Byrdsong. Upon information that Byrdsong was inside a residence along Shenandoah Drive in Penn Hills, detectives entered the home at 7 p.m. Wednesday and found Byrdsong inside.
Byrdsong was taken into custody without incident and taken to the Allegheny County Jail.
Man wanted in connection to assault at Aliquippa VFW
Aliquippa police said they are searching for a man accused of “brutally” assaulting another man inside the Aliquippa VFW on Sunday.
Police responded to the VFW, 211 Penn Ave. at 11:30 p.m. Sunday for a reported assault, the department said. After reviewing video, police believed that Brett Ours, 39, of Aliquippa attacked and strangled another man for approximately 30 minutes.
The victim was in and out of consciousness and had serious injuries, police said. He was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment.
Police said video footage showed the incident was “an unprovoked attack,” with Ours using a barstool to assault and strangle the victim, who was mostly unconscious and defenseless. During the assault, police said, Ours would take “breaks” and would go back and additionally assault or strangle the victim.
No one in the bar called the police during the incident and did not call until after Ours left, police said. Authorities are investigating three other people in the bar who they believe played a role in the assault. They were not identified.
Police issued an arrest warrant for Ours. He is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, strangulation, possessing instruments of a crime and simple assault.
Those with information on Ours’ whereabouts are asked to contact the Aliquippa Police by calling 724-775-0880. Ours also has a warrant for his arrest out of the Beaver County Sheriff’s Department. He is considered to be dangerous and the public should not approach him, police said.