BRENTWOOD, Pa. — A man is dead after being shot multiple times by a Brentwood Police Officer after a brief car chase, according to Allegheny County Police.
Police say they were trying to stop a suspected car thief.
“There’s really not that much that happens in Brentwood, it’s a pretty quiet community, especially in this area, so it’s a little unsettling that that happened,” said Ken Kornick, who lives on the street where the shooting happened.
According to Allegheny County Police, their officers first spotted a car reported stolen from Carnegie around 5 p.m. Wednesday and tried to stop the driver in South Park.
The driver initially stopped, then allegedly sped off.
County officers did not follow, but Brentwood Police spotted the car on Route 51 a few minutes later.
“They chased the vehicle through the side streets of Brentwood for several minutes, during which time the suspect vehicle rammed one of the Brentwood officers on Laveton Road,” said County Police Superintendent Chris Kearns.
According to Kearns, the suspect’s car then stopped along Check Way, near Dauphin Street, due to a flat tire.
He allegedly got out and began running.
“The officer had a physical fight with the suspect. During this fight, he found that the suspect was armed with a handgun. The physical fight continued, and during this confrontation, the officer fired multiple rounds, striking the suspect,” Kearns said.
Officers then began giving the man CPR.
Investigators say he was rushed to the hospital where he died. He was later identified as Craig W. McGrath, 37.
“It was nauseating when I saw them doing CPR on someone who was just shot and the car was right here, I was like I can’t watch this. I had to walk away,” said neighbor Jana Faust.
County Police would not say whether McGrath pulled out his gun or attempted to fire.
Kearns says the Brentwood officer did have an activated body cam that will be used in the investigation.
“I’m proud that they’re protecting our community. That’s important. It’s unfortunate they had to use deadly force today, but sometimes you need to,” said neighbor Bill Sorochman.
Kearns says it will be up to Brentwood Police to determine what’s next for the officer who shot and killed the man.
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