A man Bellevue police say passed out three times behind the wheel at a McDonald's drive-thru, then rammed a patrol cruiser and nearly ran down an officer, remains at large a month after the incident touched off a chase down Ohio River Boulevard into Pittsburgh. Investigators have identified him as Caidyn Smith, and police have now issued a warrant for his arrest.
According to WTAE, the July 5 episode began when McDonald's employees called 911 after a driver came through the Bellevue drive-thru line three separate times, passing out behind the wheel each time. Responding officers said Smith smelled like marijuana and refused to give his name when they questioned him.
Police Say He Rammed a Cruiser Before Fleeing
Rather than comply, police say Smith put his vehicle into reverse, striking a patrol cruiser and nearly hitting an officer in the process, according to the outlet's report. He then led officers on a chase down Ohio River Boulevard into Pittsburgh before they lost sight of him; when investigators caught up to the vehicle, they found the rental car he had been driving abandoned and empty.
The case went unsolved for more than a week until July 16, when a Robinson police officer recognized Smith from body-camera images tied to the Bellevue incident, per the same report. That identification led Bellevue police to issue the arrest warrant, though as of the report, Smith had not been taken into custody.
A Small Department Covering a Busy Commuter Route
Bellevue Borough sits along the Ohio River Boulevard corridor in Allegheny County, with its municipal offices based at Borough Hall on Bayne Avenue, according to Bellevue Borough. The department that responded to the McDonald's call is a modest one: the Bellevue Borough Police Department employs three sergeants and 10 sworn patrol officers under its chief, a roster typical of the small suburban forces patrolling the corridor into Pittsburgh.
Departments of that size often lean on county or state resources once a case grows beyond a single incident, as this one did when the trail eventually led investigators to a Robinson police officer's body-camera footage.
What Pennsylvania Law Says About Ramming a Cruiser
Pennsylvania law treats fleeing from police as a second-degree misdemeanor by default, but the charge is elevated to a third-degree felony -- punishable by up to seven years in prison and $15,000 in fines -- when a driver endangers officers or the public during a pursuit, according to Goldstein Mehta LLC. Separately, intentionally or recklessly attempting to injure an officer performing official duties can elevate simple assault to aggravated assault, a felony carrying maximum prison terms of 10 to 20 years depending on severity, per ARM Lawyers.
Because the rental car was later found empty, Pennsylvania's Act 95 of 2022, which separately criminalizes fleeing law enforcement on foot, could also come into play, according to Justia Law. No formal charges against Smith beyond the outstanding arrest warrant have been made public.
A Recurring Hazard on Allegheny County Roads
Vehicle pursuits remain a persistent safety issue across the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania State Police recorded 2,958 pursuits in 2023, with just over 56% ending in an arrest, and the same annual report tallied 1,069 crashes tied to pursuits statewide, including 282 incidents that injured violators, officers, or bystanders.
Allegheny County has seen similar cases play out recently. In February, a driver led police on a chase from McKees Rocks to Pittsburgh's North Side after repeatedly reversing into patrol cars. In January, a Pittsburgh man faced up to 29 criminal counts after a multi-county chase that included colliding with a police cruiser.
Suspected drug involvement is also a common thread in these encounters. A study of roughly 450,000 Pennsylvania traffic stops in 2023 found that discretionary searches turned up contraband more than half the time, according to Spotlight PA. For now, Smith's whereabouts remain unknown, and the warrant for his arrest is still outstanding.
