Police: Man held woman hostage at gunpoint in New Kensington apartment
A man is accused of holding a woman hostage at gunpoint over two days this week in New Kensington.
New Kensington police charged Drayvawn Lamont Smith, 24, described as homeless, with unlawful restraint, strangulation and simple assault. He was arraigned Thursday afternoon and is being held in the Westmoreland County jail after being unable to post $50,000 bail.
In a criminal complaint against Smith, police said the woman came into the police station shortly before noon Thursday to report the alleged assault.
The woman said Smith had been her boyfriend for one month, police said. According to the complaint, the woman told police that Smith held her hostage at gunpoint in her apartment at Valley Royal Court on Fifth Avenue from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning.
She said Smith pointed his firearm at her and continually engaged and disengaged the safety, and that he had choked her for a few seconds, according to the complaint.
The woman said she got away from Smith on Thursday morning by saying she had to go to the rental office, police said. There, she alerted the property manager, who escorted her to the police department, the complaint said.
Police said officers found Smith on the third floor of another apartment building on Fifth Avenue, and he had a key for the woman’s apartment with him.
The woman retrieved the firearm, a Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol, from her apartment and brought it to police, according to the complaint. It had nine rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber, police said.
Smith was given a notice of defiant trespass for Valley Royal Court, police said.
Police said Smith denied all of the allegations against him. According to the complaint, Smith said he never threatened the woman with the gun, which he said was already in her apartment and that he had only moved from a table to a closet.
Smith did not have an attorney listed in court records.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before New Kensington District Judge Frank Pallone Jr. on June 30.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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