Man wanted for leading police on chase

MOUNT PLEASANT, Pa. — Police say a man is on the run after leading them on a dangerous chase through Westmoreland County.

Channel 11 is getting a unique angle on exactly how the chase and his escape played out after talking to a man who happened to have his drone handy when the chase was unfolding.

Troopers said they are using an image from one of their cruiser's dash cams in the investigation. The image was taken as the suspect led them on a chase for about 12 miles, reaching speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, troopers said.

"It went through Mount Pleasant Township, Mount Pleasant borough and into East Huntingdon," said Trooper Steve Limani, with the Greensburg post of Pennsylvania State Police.

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"I've never seen a police chase," said witness John Gardiner, who lives in Mount Pleasant and watched the pursuit pass by his house not once, but twice. "Fifteen minutes later, we heard sirens again, decided to run out to see what it was and it was them coming back through for the second time."

Police say the chase started when the suspect sped through a stop sign near Mount Pleasant High School.

They kept following him, he got turned around in a cul-de-sac, but kept going until he pulled onto a gravel road off Route 119.

Gardiner put up his drone and caught the chase as it was coming to an end.

"It was already done so I tried to take pictures of where he stopped, and where he might have gone, there was a couple of other dirt roads," Gardiner said.

There's a work site behind trees, and police say the suspect ditched his truck and took off.

They're still looking for him.

"We searched that wooded area for several hours; by the time we were able to get the dog down there to pick up a scent, we were unable to find him and abandoned the search,” Limani said.

Investigators have challenges of their own, trying to identify the man who led them on the 12-mile chase.

They captured a picture of him when he stopped, briefly, in a cul-de-sac, before he took off again.

"Almost every single one of these instances, it's not that they're running just because they blew a stop sign, there are other mitigating factors, they're wanted, driving while under the influence, suspended,” Limani said.

Police say the truck he was driving was registered to a woman several counties north of Westmoreland, and she told police she gave it to a relative.

"Were trying to find out why the vehicle was down there and they're cooperating with us right now but we don't know who this individual is yet," Limani said.

Cox Media Group