Suspect arrested at gunpoint on South after foot chase

A suspect led transit police on foot from the University Metro-Rail Station bus loop through South Campus parking lots Monday afternoon, in a chase that ended on the school's lawn.

According to Doug Hartmayer, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) spokesperson, four male teenagers attacked a 16-year-old while he was waiting for a bus.

No one was seriously injured or taken to the hospital after the fight, which was broken up before it could escalate, Hartmayer said.

"There were two officers in the station at the time the fight started," he said.

Officers Vincent Mancino and John Politowski called for backup at about 4 p.m. and broke up the fight. Three of the individuals were arrested at the scene, including the 16-year-old targeted by the other four.

"One of the individuals was arrested on the University campus after kicking the victim in the face as officers were trying to subdue them," Hartmayer said.

Another suspect was captured in a women's clothing store in the University Plaza after fleeing the scene.

In an interview with WBFO, a National Public Radio affiliate located on South Campus, Mancino said he drew his firearm because the suspect appeared to reach for something that could have been a weapon.

He said that the violence was gang-related and not an isolated incident. Mancino also said that the NFTA and the Buffalo Police Department (BPD) are currently responding to gang activity in the South Campus area.

"One of the defendants made comments to the effect that he belonged to a street gang, and that's where that information came from," Hartmayer said.

Chief of University Police Gerald Schoenle said he did not think the situation was related to UB and that he was not aware of any gang activity on campus.

"In reality, they're just charged with disorderly conduct and resisting," Schoenle said. "They were not arrested with weapons or anything like that."

Michael DeGeorge, spokesman for the Buffalo Police Department, said that police are investigating whether or not the incident id be gang-related.