When I heard Pearfield road I was surprised because its probably one of the safest roads in FH. I suspect that the burglar was actually trying to burgle a house in Perry Rise and ran through the alleyway into Pearfield. The idea being to cut off the police cars in Perry Rise who cant go through the Alleyway (Alleyways are a nuisance in this respect). The alleyway between Sunderland and Trilby has been mentioned as a crime spot several times.

The description of the suspect is as useless as ever because there is no mention of his age range, height & dress style etc. The fact that he was carrying a machete might only be because he intended to use it as a lever bar to gain entry.