A jitney run in Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood spun into chaos yesterday when a driver was robbed at gunpoint, then police later charged his passenger after finding a lunchbox full of drugs in her nearby apartment. According to investigators, the driver told officers he was jumped by several masked men while working in the neighborhood, and officers say a 2-year-old child inside the apartment later had access to the same container where they found crack and heroin.
Robbery at Wilner Avenue and East Hills Drive
Police were called to the intersection of Wilner Avenue and East Hills Drive after the jitney driver reported that he had been assaulted and robbed, according to court documents. The victim, who told investigators he regularly picks up the same passenger for grocery trips, said four masked men attacked him and that one of them demanded he give back money to the passenger, identified in paperwork as Tariyah Little. The driver’s account and the details in court records are laid out by WPXI.
What the charges mean
Police say Little faces counts of drug possession and endangering the welfare of children, charges that come from what officers say they discovered inside her apartment rather than from the street robbery itself. Under Pennsylvania law, endangering the welfare of children is generally a first degree misdemeanor, but the statute increases the grading when the victim is under six years old and it allows courts to order counseling if there is a conviction. The statutory language is set out in Title 18, §4304.
Evidence, the child and next steps
When officers went to Little’s nearby apartment to question her after the robbery report, they say they discovered a lunchbox filled with illegal drugs, including crack and heroin, according to court paperwork. Investigators also say Little’s 2-year-old child had access to that container. Little was charged with endangering the welfare of children and drug possession, while the robbery itself remains under investigation and police have not publicly identified any suspects in the attack. The account of the search and resulting charges is detailed by WPXI.
The investigation into the street robbery is ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information to contact detectives. Any upcoming court dates and developments in Little’s case will appear in Allegheny County court filings as the case moves ahead.
