A man from Pitcairn is facing a litany of charges following a robbery at a Burger King in Monroeville, where he allegedly used a gun and a stun device against the employees. As reported by TribLIVE, the suspect, 30-year-old Yamin Harris, is accused of entering the fast food establishment on Broadway Boulevard through a back employee entrance after the lobby had closed Sunday evening.
Armed with a firearm and what was described as either a Taser or a long electric prod, Harris is said to have used the stun device on at least two employees, and he pointed the gun at a manager, forcing the manager into an office where he demanded money from the safe, then the desperate scene unfolded as he made the other employees get garbage bags to fill with the stolen cash, as WPXI detailed. He took off with less than $1,000 and fled the scene in a car, prompting a police pursuit.
The chase ended when Harris reportedly jumped from the vehicle's passenger side and escaped on foot. However, he was subsequently located in Pitcairn and apprehended. A subsequent search of the vehicle post-capture turned up $805 in cash, a loaded gun, and the cattle prod, along with a black mask and gloves, all of which are consistent with the items described in the robbery, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Harris, now in custody at Allegheny County Jail, has been denied bail and is facing two dozen charges, including robbery, simple assault, fleeing from police, and terroristic threats. He is notable for a past marked by similar transgressions; in the fall of 2012, he previously held up the First Niagara Bank on Wabash Street in the West End and, not long after, was arrested for robbing First National Bank on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, these prior incidents, as described by WPXI. Harris's preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 6.
