A man was arrested in Freeport after police said he sped a sedan toward crowds gathered for the town's Halloween parade, including children standing along the road, then fled from officers before being tased inside the BP store. Police identified the driver as Kyle Pulaski and say he refused commands before leading officers on a brief pursuit that ended with his arrest at a nearby BP station.
According to WTAE, an officer reported seeing a sedan speeding on Fifth Street, where a large group of people, including children, were standing alongside the road for the parade. Pulaski allegedly told the officer no when ordered to roll down his window, then sped off toward Buffalo Street, the station reports.
Per WPXI, Pulaski failed to pull over at Fifth and High streets and continued toward Buffalo Street before pulling into a BP parking lot and going inside the store. Officers followed him in, and when he tried to flee again, they deployed a Taser inside the store and took him into custody, the station reports.
Charges and the Devil Claim
Pulaski is facing multiple charges, including fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, DUI and disorderly conduct, the station notes. Police also said they could smell alcohol on him during the encounter.
Perhaps the strangest detail in the case comes from the criminal complaint itself: according to the same report, Pulaski repeatedly told police and medical personnel that the Devil had taken over his body and that he had no control over what happened. The explanation was offered more than once as officers and medics dealt with him after his arrest.
Not the First Freeport Parade Scare
This is not the first time a vehicle has threatened a Freeport parade crowd. In December 2023, police said a driver traveled at a high rate of speed near the route of A Small Town Christmas, nearly striking those in attendance, according to the Butler Eagle. In that case, officers said the driver failed to stop and continued onto Route 128 at a high rate of speed after an officer unsuccessfully attempted to pull the vehicle over.
That earlier case involved a different driver, 22-year-old Zachary Stephen Zecca, who police said drove recklessly through grass and nearly struck people attending the holiday event, the Butler Eagle reported. Zecca was charged with misdemeanor counts of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, resisting arrest and recklessly endangering another person, along with summary traffic offenses. The two incidents are separate cases involving different people, but together they underscore a recurring safety concern around Freeport's parade routes.
Police Say Staffing Increases for Community Events
The Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department said it increases staffing during community events specifically to protect residents and visitors, according to WPXI's report on this week's arrest. That posture appears to have been in place again during Wednesday's Halloween parade when officers spotted Pulaski's speeding sedan.
Parade-related vehicle incidents are not limited to small Pennsylvania towns. In April, multiple people were injured during a Saturday parade in Louisiana when police said a vehicle drove into a crowd, striking several participants, according to KTLA. That case remains a separate incident from what happened in Freeport this week.
What Pennsylvania Law Says
Under Pennsylvania law, a person commits reckless driving by operating a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of people or property, according to the state's vehicle code maintained by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Separately, the state's criminal statute on recklessly endangering another person defines the offense as recklessly engaging in conduct that places or may place another person in danger of death or serious bodily injury, classifying it as a second-degree misdemeanor.
