Three Men Arrested In State College Burglary; Assault Weapons Seized

In a late-afternoon press conference, State College police confirmed the arrest of three men early Monday morning following a residential burglary.

State College Police Chief Tom King said officers spotted a suspicious vehicle in College Heights just before 1 a.m. Wednesday.

When officers took chase, police say three men fled from the scene.

One man pulled a gun on an officer but was quickly subdued without further incident, police said.

Authorities said a second man ran on foot and was apprehended with the help of a police K-9 unit; the third did not resist arrest.

State College police officials say they have evidence linking the three men to a residential burglary in the 400 block of Ridge Avenue, as well as an attempted vehicle theft.

Several weapons were seized in the investigation, including two pistols and two AK-47 style assault rifles.

Members of the newly formed joint Robbery Task Force in Centre County attended Wednesday’s press conference, but would not confirm whether the three men arrested are connected to four other armed robberies under investigation in Centre County.

Authorities said additional charges will likely be filed.

WJAC-TV cameras captured police searching two houses Wednesday afternoon; Centre County District Attorney Stacey Parks Miller would neither confirm nor deny if the searches are connected to the arrests.

A preliminary hearing for the three men was held shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Authorities have identified the men as Maksim Illarionov, Dmitriy Litvinov and Alexei Semionov.

Centre County District Judge Jonathan Grine set bail at $800,000.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for March 10.