COLUMBUS – Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for a man they say has come to Ohio as part of a multi-state crime spree.
They say the man may be driving a blue 2016 Toyota Corolla (Ohio lic. # HJC-6267) stolen Tuesday afternoon at a Northeast Side apartment complex, not far away from where another car, stolen in Buffalo, N.Y., was found, according to detectives with the Columbus Division of Police Robbery Unit.
Police say the suspect, described as a black man, 25 or 26 years old, 6’2/165 lbs and possibly named Muhammed, approached a 22-year-old man near the leasing office of the Abbey Lane Apartment Homes complex in the 4200 block of Goldengate Square West at 4:25 p.m., and talked to him before pulling a handgun and threatening to kill the man if he didn’t give up his car.
The victim complied and the suspect drove away, police said.
Police are requesting the public’s assistance and are advising anyone who sees the stolen vehicle to immediately call 911 and alert authorities to its location but not to approach the vehicle or suspect as the man should be considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators found that the suspect committed a prior armed carjacking in Buffalo earlier the same day and the vehicle taken during that incident was recovered nearby.
Police say information they uncovered indicates the suspect was in at the Love’s Travel Stop in Springfield Wednesday afternoon but his intended destination is unknown.
Columbus police say they are working with the police in Buffalo to identify and arrest the man.