INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — A fatal officer-involved shooting that happened in Indiana County last month was justified, the Indiana County District Attorney said.
According to the DA, a trooper tried to conduct a routine traffic stop on a truck with an inoperable rear taillight.
RELATED >> Man killed in officer-involved shooting during police pursuit in Indiana County, state police say
The driver, John Dye, complied with the stop but then sped away when the trooper approached his window.
The chase lasted 21 minutes, with Dye reaching speeds of over 65 miles per hour in a residential zone, officials said. He also drove either partially or completely on the wrong side of the road, didn’t stop at traffic signals and almost rolled his truck during the pursuit.
The DA said the trooper involved with this incident has many years of experience investigating DUI offenses and believed Dye was driving while under the influence.
RELATED >> Man killed in officer-involved shooting in Indiana County identified
Despite attempts to stop the truck, including spike stripes to deflate tires, Dye continued to flee from troopers. When police tried to use their vehicles to stop him, Dye drove through yards and business properties.
Officials said Dye intentionally struck a police cruiser during an attempted blockade despite there being room for him to drive around the car.
Dye eventually entered Route 119 southbound toward Blairsville where state police were able to stop the truck with another roadblock. One trooper had to move sideways between the truck and a police cruiser stopped next to it because of the narrow distance between them.
Troopers surrounded the truck and instructed Dye to exit his vehicle and raise his hands for them to see. He refused to comply, placed his vehicle in reverse and accelerated, pushing the parked police cruiser located behind him at least two car lengths, officials said.
Dye then maneuvered his truck in a reverse 90-degree angle that closed the area between the truck and the police cruiser parked on the driver’s side.
Because of this action, the initial trooper involved in this incident became trapped between the truck, the parked police cruiser on the driver’s side and the side rearview mirror on the truck. The trooper utilized lethal force and fired his gun at Dye, the DA said.
After a thorough investigation, state police determined Dye had been at a holiday event earlier in the day. He drove his roommate home and went back to the event to continue the celebration.
Witnesses at the event confirmed Dye was intoxicated, state police said.
During the event, Dye was confronted by a witness for driving under the influence. When told he could be taken back to jail if he was caught, Dye reportedly said, ”They are going to have to shoot me because I am not going back to jail.”
Toxicology reports also confirmed Dye had consumed marijuana and that his blood alcohol concentration was 0.193%, over two times higher than the legal limit.
Dye also had a previous DUI conviction which suspending his driving privilege, officials said. He also was on active parole supervision with past felony and misdemeanor convictions.
“It is my conclusion that the Trooper’s use of force to protect his life, the lives of his fellow Troopers and to stop the clear threat to the community on July 3, 2023 was justified under Pennsylvania law. It is clear that the Troopers life was in imminent danger. It is also clear that the lives of the other Troopers were in imminent danger due to the continued efforts to flee the police. My office will take no further action on this case at this time,” Indiana County District Attorney Robert F. Manzi Jr. said.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2023 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
