Crafton Heights Shooting Prompts Manhunt For Suspect
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – State police and Pittsburgh police have called off the search for Robert Amend, 49, for the night.
However, state police say local troopers from Butler were driving around taking calls throughout the night in case someone spotted Amend.
Officers were set up at Oakland Township Elementary which is north of Butler all day Saturday.
Police recommend residents in the area stay in their homes until Amend is captured because he could be armed with a handgun
"I heard this car squealing then just took off running," resident Bill Cavanaugh said. "I was actually getting the mail around noon and I saw them drop the spikes for his tires and he kinda started going sideways and actually almost hit me while I was over there getting the mail."
"It started coming at us and I was like oh my God get out of the way," resident Debbie Kepple said. "I just thought I was gonna get killed there."
Police chased Amend into Butler County. He's from the Sheraden section of Pittsburgh.
Police accused him of shooting his estranged wife multiple times after some sort of domestic incident that happened around 9 a.m. Saturday in the 900 block of Woodlow Street in Crafton Heights. She was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Once Amend got to Butler County, police say he didn't stop there.
"He ditched a vehicle in a local trailer park. We found the vehicle in trailer park. It was observed by a resident in trailer park," Lt. Christopher Yanoff with the Pennsylvania State Police said.
"I heard a crazy noise over there 200 yards, I looked up and heard sirens behind him and he was driving through here smoke coming off his vehicle," witness Dennis Newell said.
Newell lives in Woodbine Oaks Trailer Park where police say Amend left his car and took off. Police set up a perimeter around the park so they could look for him.
State police had a helicopter in the air for hours.
"Probably every trooper In Butler County was here at one time," Newell said.
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