A Pittsburgh man led Pennsylvania State Police on a car chase that ended with a trooper-involved shooting yesterday morning, as reported by WTAE. The pursuit began when a state trooper spotted a stolen vehicle on Interstate 376 and, after the driver refused to pull over, concluded with the suspect being shot and later hospitalized.
The incident, which started just before 9:40 a.m., saw the suspect driving a stolen car eastbound on I-376 when troopers attempted to initiate a traffic stop. With the driver speeding off, troopers followed in pursuit until the stolen Infiniti was abandoned near Crane Avenue in the Beechview neighborhood of Pittsburgh. During the foot chase that followed, state police report that in an effort to subdue the suspect, a trooper discharged their weapon, striking the man.
“It's still a very fluid investigation. We're processing the scene now, and we still have to do some more interviews. At this point, I can't comment on the exact details other than he fled the scene, one of our members discharged and he was taken to a local hospital," Captain Jeremy Barni said in a statement obtained by WTAE. Authorities have not released the identity of the driver.
No law enforcement officers were harmed during the incident, and police, after apprehending and treating the suspect on-scene, transported him to the hospital, where he was subsequently released into police custody. As part of the investigation, state police stated that they will present their findings to the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, as reported by TribLIVE. Crane Avenue was expected to remain closed for the majority of the day as investigators continued processing the scene on Saturday.
According to state police, the situation has been contained, and there is no reported threat to the public. Pittsburgh city police were called to assist at the scene of the incident.
