Carjacking Suspect Faces Long List Of Charges

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Police say a local man was taken on a wild ride last night after he was carjacked and kidnapped.

It all started at the Exxon Station on Penn Avenue in Lawrenceville.

That's where police say 36-year-old Jamal Rasheed Griffin pulled out a gun, forced the driver of the white Chevy Impala into the passenger seat and took off.

Joseph Parker, 22, asked his friends to call police as the car left the station.

Police had little to go on when the car left the station until officers spotted it near North Mathilda Street.

With Parker still in the passenger seat, police say Griffin began to drive faster – barely avoiding at least one patrol car before hitting a curb and landing in Donald Buczkowski's yard in Garfield.

"I watch all of these crime shows," he told KDKA-TV. "You do not contaminate a crime scene, so [it's] best for me to stay inside."

Buczkowski didn't actually see the crash but he did say police take Griffin out of the car. The suspect suffered a seizure at the scene and was taken to a local hospital.

He faces about 20 charges.

Buczkowski says his big concern is what happens to his dog, Cinders, who usually plays out in the yard.

"This is her yard and on a nice day like this, she wants to spend some time outside," he said.

Buczkowski is getting his fence replaced.

RELATED LINKS
More Local News
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police