Massive manhunt nets two suspects

Police took two 16-year-old boys into custody Wednesday afternoon during a massive manhunt in Tyrone for those allegedly behind a string of northern Blair County burglaries.

A state police helicopter took to the air Wednesday as troopers and borough officers hit the streets with bloodhounds. They combed the area for the three suspects they believe burglarized four northern Blair County businesses and burned a car on Oct. 21.

Police were also searching for a man in the case, and it is possible there is another adult male suspect involved, Tyrone Borough Police Chief Joe Beachem said. Altoona police are also involved in the investigation because investigators believe a car stolen from the city was used in the crimes.

Two other convenience store break-ins since, one in Tipton and another at the Bald Eagle intersection, are being considered as part of the same crime spree, investigators said.

"We're gonna keep working on this until everything is tied up and we can bring some peace back to the community," Beachem said.

The manhunt began about 1 p.m. and one of the teenagers was located in an abandoned trailer at the Logan Ridge Village trailer park at the northern end of the borough and another was located at a Washington Avenue residence where police served a search warrant last week, Tyrone Police Chief Joe Beachem said. Investigators were questioning the boys and charges were pending, he said.

Thieves forced their way into Puff-N-Snuff and Cowfer's Custom Designs in the borough and Jean-O's Pizzeria and the Tyrone Sandwich and Six Pack Shop in neighboring Snyder Township Oct. 21, police said. Bloodhounds tracked scents from Puff-N-Snuff and Cowfer's back to the same house where police said they arrested one of the boys.

Surveillance video from several of the businesses showed masked intruders who broke out windows and doors to gain entry before they grabbed merchandise such as beer and cigarettes and smashed cash registers to get money.

The video from the sandwich shop showed four burglars, footage supplied by the tobacco store showed three men, while the early morning Oct. 25 break-in at Rossi's Corner Store in Tipton indicated three suspects. The latest burglary, about 3:16 a.m. Tuesday, at Snappy's convenience store in Bald Eagle, showed four men, police said.