Hearing scheduled for suspect injured in failed robbery attempt
WAYNESBURG – A Jefferson man who was injured while allegedly attempting to rob a man in Waynesburg now awaits a preliminary hearing after being arrested on several charges.
Larry Steven Hagyari Jr., 28, was arrested by Waynesburg Borough police and charged with robbery, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, terroristic threats and possession of a weapon following an incident that occurred on Sept. 7.
The charges were filed after Hagyari was released from a hospital following the incident, when he sustained injuries from the man he was trying to rob, according to the criminal complaint filed in the office of Magisterial District Judge Glenn Bates.
The complaint states that police were dispatched shortly after midnight on Sept. 7 after receiving a report from Greene County 911 of three suspicious-looking men spotted around the area of the Eva K. Bowlby Library, one of whom was believed to armed with a gun; a witness later told police the suspect with the gun was walking up and down Bowlby Street “like he was casing the place.”
Police said they arrived at the scene and located two men first, identified as Patrick Maurice and Cornell Hamilton; officers were questioning them about a gun when they heard shouting and tires squealing, then found Hagyari running from behind the library bleeding from his head.
Hagyari was not found with a gun and claimed he was “just out walking” and “got jumped,” the complaint states.
Officers then went to the rear of the library and found John Shriver “visibly shaken” with blood on his face; Shriver told police he was walking on Bowlby Street when a man jumped out from behind the fence, pointed a gun at him and demanded money, the complaint states.
Shriver then told police that he punched the man, threw him to the ground, hit him with the gun and then threw the gun over a fence, and the would-be robber then ran off; Shriver then pointed to the ground and showed police a piece of a black plastic gun, and police retrieved the rest of the gun from over the fence, the complaint states.
Police then questioned Maurice and Hamilton, who stated that they are from Clarksville and had been “out drinking,” and that Hagyari had driven them to Waynesburg to get more beer; they said Hagyari parked the vehicle and said he would be back, and when questioned about the gun they said it was a toy gun, the complaint states.
Police then determined that Maurice had a warrant for his arrest, and he was taken into custody and jailed, while Cornell was released; Hagyari was transported to Washington Health System-Greene by EMS Southwest for treatment of injuries, the complaint states.
After being released from the hospital, Hagyari was arraigned before Bates at 9 a.m. Sept. 7. He was released from jail after posting $20,000 straight bail.
Hagyari’s preliminary hearing has been scheduled to be held before Bates on Sept. 21 at 3 p.m.