Hanover Police Seek Armed Robbers

Hanover Township, Luzerne County-- Investigators are trying to track down two suspects following a brazen armed robbery, and the wild chain of events that followed.

That chain of events included a chase with police pursuing a stolen vehicle-- and one of those suspects shooting at an officer.

Now, police are searching for the assailants, and any eyewitnesses that might be able to help crack the case.

People in Hanover Township were uneasy Monday morning-- after learning that a 33-year-old Church Street man was tied up and robbed at gunpoint. It happened around 9:15 Sunday night.

One teen walking to school said, "It's scary, especially feeling that it might be right next door to my house."

The house is in the 700 block of Church Street-- only about a block away from Hanover-Green Elementary School.

Crossing guard John Marut says -- despite law enforcement's best efforts-- things have changed a lot here in his 86 years.

He noted, "They patrol, they're here all the time. I'm watching the kids over there, and they're back and forth patrolling."

Police tell us the victim was unloading grocery bags on his front porch, when the suspect snuck out from between the two houses and pointed a gun at him.

The victim was forced inside and tied up, with a covering placed over his head.

The gun-wielding suspect and an accomplice then spent about 90 minutes ransacking the place-- before leaving in the victim's 2004 red Ford Focus.

The man eventually freed himself and called police.

Neighbor Danny Biskrichan recalled, "Last night, I was in bed and I saw two police cars over there. You could see the flashes going off. They were taking pictures inside. They were here 3 hours or more."

Meanwhile, Wilkes-Barre police spotted the stolen vehicle and began a pursuit, before backing off when the suspect brazenly opened fire at them.

The abandoned car was eventually found in Thornhurst, Lackawanna County.
Evidence from it and the victim's home were sent to a state police crime lab for analysis.

But with these two suspects still on the loose, people in Hanover Township say they're concerned by what they call an escalating crime problem in their neighborhood.

Marut continued, "It's getting worse around here. I'll tell you that. It's getting bad-- bad, bad, bad."

Thankfully, the victim was not hurt.

He only saw the one suspect carrying the gun-- whom he described to police as a black man, about 6 feet tall, and close to 200 pounds, wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.

Anyone with information should call Hanover Township police at 825-1254.