PAT: We Had Shooter a Week Before Rampage

The Port Authority of Allegheny County says it had the man who killed three women at the LA-Fitness Center in Collier in custody for a few hours two weeks ago but had to let him go. PAT Spokesperson Jim Ritchie says a rider on the 33X on the West Busway called PAT police after seeing a man on the bus holding what looked like a hand grenade. The man even offered the other passenger a chance to hold the device, which he declined. Plain Clothes PAT investigators watched the stops along the busway for the next two days and eventually took 48-year-old George Sodini in for questioning. He was searched and asked about the explosive but said he was not the one with the grenade. He was not carrying anything illegal at the time and the witness was unable to positively identify from a picture so the matter was dropped. Sodini entered a workout class at the LA-Fitness Club less than a week later where he opened fire killing three and injuring 9 before turning the gun on himself. Ritchie says PAT officers remembered the man’s name and turned over their information to the Allegheny County Detectives working on the case. Police say they later found a dummy grenade when going through Sodini’s home.