A Lower Burrell man is accused of trying to stab a man at the Marathon gas station in Tarentum before stealing his minivan early Friday morning, according to police.
In court records, Tarentum police say they were able to identify Robert Matthew Harmon, 35, as the accused assailant because a person who had earlier given Harmon a lift to the gas station asked to see his identification first.
Harmon was not in custody as of early Saturday afternoon, according to court records.
Tarentum officers responded to the reported assault at the Marathon gas station shortly after 3:30 a.m.
The victim told police he was pumping gas into his vehicle, a 2010 Dodge Caravan, when a man dressed in heavy clothing and a camouflage face covering approached and walked past him.
When the man came back, the victim saw that he was holding a knife, according to a criminal complaint.
The man tried to stab the victim, causing him to move back, trip on a curb and fall to the ground. The victim suffered injuries to his wrist and back, the complaint states.
While the victim was on the ground, the man, since identified as Harmon, got into the minivan, started it and drove away toward Route 28.
The victim’s cell phone was still inside the vehicle.
When Allegheny County 911 pinged the phone, it was last near the Three Rivers Trail and Scenic Overlook parking area in Oakland. Pittsburgh police checked the area but did not find anything, the complaint states.
Upon reviewing the Marathon station’s surveillance video, police found the suspect had been dropped off there around 2:50 a.m., according to the complaint. Officers were able to identify and contact the owner of the vehicle that had dropped him off.
That person told police that before taking the man from Sheetz in Lower Burrell to the Marathon station in Tarentum, they asked for his identification, leading to the suspect being identified as Harmon, the complaint states.
After being dropped off at the Marathon station, police say Harmon went inside without his face covered. Police say they identified Harmon as the assailant by comparing his PennDOT photograph to the images captured at the gas station.
Police said they found Harmon has an active arrest warrant in Pittsburgh, and his driver’s license is suspended because of a prior conviction for driving under the influence.
Tarentum police charged Harmon with aggravated assault, robbery of a motor vehicle, theft, receiving stolen property, terroristic threats and simple assault.