Police Investigate Car Windows Shot Out With BB Gun

Northern Regional Police Department is investigating a rash of incidents in which car windows were shot out by BB or pellet guns in normally quiet residential neighborhoods.

 In two instances, Pine Township residents reported seeing someone in an SUV shooting out car windows, police report.

 Police also received reports of windows being broken in homes – one with a BB, the other with a rock.

 April 1 – Chris Rudolph of Rudolph Auto Repair at 3750 Gibsonia Road in Richland Township reported the passenger-side window of his Chevrolet Astro van was shot out with what appeared to be a BB gun or pellet gun, police said. He reported the replacement cost of the window is $400. The shop is located at the corner of Hardt Road and Route 910.

 March 31 – A resident of Christopher Wren Apartments in Pine Township called police around 8:15 p.m. to report seeing someone in a light green SUV use a BB gun to shoot out the back windows of two vehicles in the parking lot at 6000 Christopher Wren Drive, according to a police report.

 The resident said he was walking on the sidewalk when the SUV, with possibly two males in it, drove by, police said. The resident heard a noise and saw a damaged rear window on a Toyota 4Runner, police said. The SUV then fled around the corner and shot another window, according to the police report.

 Police contacted the owners of the two vehicles to tell them a report would be filed and advised them to keep receipts for any out-of-pocket expenses for restitution if the shooter or shooters were caught.

 March 31 – Renee Evans of 305 Heather Hill Drive in Pine Township reported her husband’s company vehicle, a Chrysler Town & Country van, had both passenger-side windows shot out by a BB gun around 9 p.m., police said. Evans said her neighbors in the Karrington Woods development told her they saw someone in a dark or red SUV shoot out the windows as they walked nearby, said police.

 March 31 -- Linda Gogniat of 5245 Karrington Drive in Pine Township reported around 9 p.m. that someone just shot her large living room window with a BB and broke the outside glass pane. The home is located in Karrington Woods.

 March 31 -- Harry Grant of 5392 Hardt Road in Richland Township reported about 8:45 p.m. that someone threw a rock through the large glass window above his front door. A small river rock was found between the glass panes. Grant stated that he did not see a vehicle or anyone around his house, police said.

March 31 -- The property manager for Pine Tree Shoppes in Pine Township, Dana Craig, reported to police that a green streetlight in front of Parkvale Bank had been damaged in the previous weeks, police said. She said the base of the pole was repairable, but the rest of the pole and light had to be replaced, said police. The pole is owned by Blackhawk Pine Retail of Pittsburgh; damage was estimated at $2,500, the police report said.

March 30 -- Melanie J. Dornburg reported the rear window in her Chevrolet Trail Blazer was broken out sometime after 8 p.m. while it was parked in her driveway at 120 Manor Road in Pine Township, said police. Dornburg told police she noticed the shattered glass in the morning, the police report stated. The home is located close to the intersection of Route 19 and North Chapel/Manor Road.

March 30 -- Emily Rau reported her 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer was parked in front of her residence at 180 South Chapel Drive in Pine Township overnight and the passenger side window was shot out with what appeared to be a BB gun or pellet gun. The home is located close to Route 19, near the Route 910 intersection.

March 30 -- Colleen Strohm reported the driver-side window of her Dodge Caravan at 121 Washington St. in Pine Township was shot out at some time during the night with what appeared to be a BB gun or pellet gun. The home is not far from Route 19/Perry Highway.

March 29 -- Lisa Nash said the left rear window of the slide door on her 2005 Saturn Relay was shattered, possibly by a BB, when she parked it in front of 308 Fox Meadow Drive in Pine Township between 7:20 and 10:15 p.m., according to a police report. Nash lives nearby in the Fox Meadow development.

March 29 -- Eric Brockschmidt of Pittsburgh told police he discovered the right rear window of his 2011 Hyundai Elantra was shattered after being shot with a BB gun, according to a police report. He discovered the shattered window when he returned to his vehicle, which was in the Burger King parking lot at 10955 Perry Highway in Pine Township. No witnesses were found and Brockschmidt said the shattering could have occurred earlier and he had not noticed it, the police report states.