Four men who were the subject of a police manhunt Tuesday night are believed to have left the Southtowns and there is no longer any imminent danger to residents, according to police.
Hamburg Police say about 5:30 p.m., they received reports of two vehicles traveling southbound on South Park Avenue into the Blasdell/Hamburg area from Lackawanna. The vehicles crashed and the suspects fled on foot into a field near the intersection of Lake Avenue and Abbott Road.
Lackawannna Police Chief James Michel said the suspects had been involved in a shooting earlier Tuesday.
"That happened at 142 Center Street in Lackawanna. Several shots were fired, but nobody was hit with the bullets," Michel told WBFO. "This was not a random act, so we don't believe other people are in jeopardy."
A Code Red alert was issued to residents in the southtowns, advising them to shelter in place.
"A thorough search was done, both on foot, as well we had the New York State Police helicopter and the Homeland Security helicopter up there," said Michel. "We were unable to locate any of the subjects at the time. We were able to identify two of the four suspects and warrants will be acquired for their arrests."
Other law enforcement involved were Blasdell Police, Orchard Park Police, West Seneca Police and the Erie County Sheriff's Office. Fire/EMS units were staged nearby in the event they were needed.
