Police release description of suspect in Asay's newsstand robbery in Tarentum

Tarentum police posted a notice on social media asking for help identifying the suspect in a robbery Wednesday afternoon at Asay’s News Stand in Tarentum.

Police are searching for a white man who was wearing a black hoodie, black sweatpants, black shoes, a green-and-brown face mask, sunglasses and a ball cap with an orange bill.

Anyone who can help identify the suspect is asked to call Tarentum police at 412-473-3056.

The knife-wielding man entered the store and demanded money from clerk April Baczynski, 29.

“He looked around the rack of chips and then came up to the counter, pulled out a knife and told me to put all the money in the bag he was carrying,” she said.

After the man left, Baczynski called 911 and the store’s owner, Kevin Bertocki, who had left the store moments before the robbery.

“I walked right past the guy while I was leaving, and he was walking toward the store,” said Bertocki, who has owned the newsstand since 2006.

He said it was the first time the store has been robbed.

“We’ve had a few break-ins, but nobody has ever walked in like that and robbed the place,” he said.

Police were on the scene within minutes of the call to 911, said Bertocki, who estimated the store was robbed of about $1,000.

“I thought it was odd that he was wearing sunglasses when he came in,” Baczynski said. “But I didn’t think much about it because we get so many different people in here during the day.

“The only thing I could think was: I have a baby, I don’t want to die. So, I did what he told me to do. Then he said, ‘Don’t tell anybody about this’ and walked out.”