Man vandalized Robinson businesses, then set truck on fire, ran from officers with knife, police say

A man is accused in a chain of events that began with smashing the windows of JC Penney at the Mall at Robinson on Tuesday.

Robinson police say a man, identified as Rocky Ruffner, 47, of Clarion County, smashed the doors with his white pickup truck just after 7 a.m.

According to court documents, Ruffner damaged merchandise at JDM structures before he went to the nearby Eat’n Park.

Eat’n Park employees told police Ruffner was acting strange, laying in the booth with no shoes on, and that he walked out on his $21.45 tab. Employees said they found smeared feces on the wall after he used the restroom.

Mall at Robinson security said feces was also smeared on a bathroom wall inside the mall.

Court documents filed by Allegheny County police say they were called to the Uber/Lyft lot at Pittsburgh International Airport for a vehicle fire.

When they arrived, they found a white pickup truck on fire. Witnesses told police a man started the fire and had a large knife.

Police said as they approached Ruffner, he started running away and flashed a knife. When police told him to stop, he kept running but dropped the knife in a garbage can.

Ruffner fell multiple times as police chased him and eventually surrendered.

Allegheny County police filed charges against Ruffner Tuesday night.

Wednesday, Robinson police were able to confirm Ruffner was the same man in the vandalism incidents and filed separate charges.

Ruffner is in the Allegheny County Jail.

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