Forest Hills Police Apprehend Man with Ski Mask, Stolen Gun

A motorist flagged down a Forest Hills police officer at 8:47 p.m. on Sept. 20 to report that a man who was possibly intoxicated was walking in the roadway along Yost Boulevard headed toward Ardmore Boulevard.

Two officers began searching the area and found the man on Yost near Rockwood Avenue. As one of the officers approached the man, identified as Nathaniel Wilson, 31, of Wilmerding, he saw Wilson moving his hand toward his waistline as if to conceal or remove a weapon.

One officer ordered Wilson to place his hands on the vehicle but he did not comply, so the officer placed his hands on the car. Wilson admitted to having a gun tucked inside the waistband of his pants, police said.

An officer recovered a 9mm Beretta handgun from the waistband of Wilson's pants, and removed a loaded magazine and a 9mm round from the gun chamber. During a pat down, an officer found a black wrap-around ski mask in the front pocket of the Wilson's hoodie.

Wilson claimed to have found the gun and ski mask while walking. After a criminal background check, police learned Wilson had previous felony convictions and was not permitted to possess a firearm.

Police charged Wilson with carrying a firearm without a license; persons not to possess, use, manufacture or control a firearm; possessing instruments of crime; and receiving stolen property. He is housed in Allegheny County Jail, unable to post $25,000 bail.

Police located the owner of the gun, who said it had been stolen in 2005. Wilson faces a preliminary hearing before District Judge Thomas Caulfield on Oct. 3.

Sept. 26

• A resident of Ogden Avenue reported that a brindle bull dog named "Big Boy" got loose on Sept. 26. The owner told police the dog has no collar or tags but is friendly. Anyone who spots the dog is asked to call police.

Sept. 25

• A motorist led police on a chase into Pittsburgh after he fled during a traffic stop at 12:39 a.m. in the 2100 block of Ardmore Boulevard. Braddock Hills and Pittsburgh police joined the pursuit of the vehicle into Pittsburgh and through the Liberty Tunnels. The man was taken into custody after spike strips were deployed Pittsburgh police to stop the car.

Sept. 24

• Police responded to a report of a shattered door at All Facilities Energy Group at 1501 Ardmore Blvd. at 7:24 a.m. A representative of the company told police that someone had entered the business and gone through desk drawers, but there were no valuables missing as employees had been told not to keep personal items in their desks following a break-in a few months ago. The only item reported missing was a laptop computer. While checking the building, officers came across a door for another business, Qintel, that had been forced open. The owners told police that three or four laptop computers and an iPod were missing. One of the laptops was a government computer. Allegheny County Police general investigations unit was called to investigate.
  

• A resident of Centurian Commons called police at 6:47 p.m. to report seeing two suspicious people sitting on the steps on the fifth floor of the building. The resident told police the man and woman don't live in the building but have a key. She told police she recognized them from North Braddock. She claimed they told her she owes them money. Officers checked the stairwells and building areas but found no one. 

• A police officer observed a suspicious occupied vehicle at 12:35 a.m. in the Forest Hills Presbyterian Church parking lot, 1840 Ardmore Blvd. The officer talked to the male driver and female passenger, who is from the Netherlands. The woman told police she met the driver at a club in Pittsburgh. The officer advised the couple.

Sept. 23

• A traffic stop made by police at 10:06 a.m. after a motorist ran a red light on Ardmore Boulevard at the intersection of Yost Boulevard resulted in the driver, Lawrence Scott, 47, of North Braddock, receiving two citations. The officer smelled burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle as he asked Scott for his license. As Scott exited the vehicle, marijuana seeds fell from his lap. During a search, an officer recovered a small amount of marijuana in Scott's pants pocket. He also found a 22-caliber pistol in the car. Scott was arrested and transported to the Forest Hills police station. Later, he was issued disorderly conduct and red light citations, and then transported home.

Sept. 20

• A resident of the 300 block of Edgewood Road called police with a report of a young man in the woods behind his home at 5:10 p.m. As an officer met the resident outside his home, he pointed out the man traveling on a motorcycle. The officer stopped the motorcycle at the corner of Brinton Avenue and Garfield Avenue. The man, a Braddock Hills resident, told police he was in the woods spotting deer and had permission from the owner of the office building on Ardmore Boulevard and adjacent wooded area behind Edgewood Road. Police advised him of the neighborhood concerns.