A man wanted on homicide charges in West Mifflin drove into Market Square yesterday and found himself quickly boxed in by the Greater Pittsburgh Fugitive Task Force, which had been searching for him for weeks.

Charles Payne, 33, of West Mifflin, who was wanted by Allegheny County police in the June 28 shooting death of Jhirmon Whitaker of Homewood, was turned over to county homicide detectives after his 1:30 p.m. arrest.

Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Michael Baughman said the task force, made up of federal, state and local law officers, had been hunting for Payne since July and said the case was a top priority.

Baughman said the task force learned that Payne, who has multiple narcotics convictions, was frequenting McKees Rocks and the North Side.

After developing leads on where he might be, the task force went looking for him Tuesday night in those communities.

He wasn't around, but task force officers learned he was dealing drugs in the Hill District, North Side and Downtown, and they also knew he was driving a Dodge Intrepid owned by a friend.

Officers were out looking for that car yesterday when one of them spotted Payne behind the wheel Downtown and called his colleagues.

Baughman said the task force converged on Payne as he drove into the square, boxed him in and took him into custody without a fight.

"This was a bit of good fortune," he said. "He basically cornered himself."

Inside the car, Baughman said, officers found $2,000 in cash along with heroin and cocaine.

The drugs and money were turned over to county narcotics detectives.

County police say Payne shot Whitaker, 24, who had a record of gun and drug crimes, outside the Mon View Heights housing complex in West Mifflin.