ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — A Verona man was arrested after state police said he led them on a high-speed chase through several towns in Allegheny County Tuesday morning.
The wild chase lasted about six minutes. It began in O’Hara Township, went through Aspinwall, continued on to Sharpsburg and finally ended in the City of Pittsburgh.
State police said Hermas Craddock was under the influence of drugs when he was driving recklessly without a valid driver’s license. At one point, he reportedly reached speeds of up to 80 mph in a 25 mph zone.
“Clearly in the wrong and he’s clearly running,” said Riley Quinlan, a floor salesman at Sherwin-Williams.
According to the criminal complaint, it was around 11 a.m. when Craddock was seen in a Jeep Wagoneer with Tennessee plates swerving in and out of lanes on Route 28 in O’Hara Township.
He was heading toward Aspinwall when the trooper tried to pull him over in a plaza parking lot off Freeport Road. Instead, police said Craddock hit the gas, drove up the curb on the sidewalk and turned around, making his way toward Sharpsburg.
Quinlan was starting his shift at Sherwin-Williams when the Jeep came barreling through his parking lot.
“What if there were somebody on the sidewalk? What if there were cars right here?” Quinlan said.
Channel 11 showed him the tire marks.
“This is new, for sure,” said Quinlan. “You can see it’s like swoosh.”
Quinlan said he heard tires screeching.
“I’m walking in the door, and you hear the screech of the tires and really don’t think anything of it,” he said. “I didn’t hear any police sirens.”
Court paperwork said Craddock was blowing through stop signs, and at one point, driving the wrong way down a one-way street.
During the chase, troopers said Craddock came close to ramming his Jeep into two patrol cars before he was seen tossing a handgun somewhere along Main Street in Sharpsburg.
The gun was later found, according to state police.
A short time later, Craddock stopped at Harriet Tubman Terrace, where his uncle lives. Police said they found him inside the apartment sitting on the couch when they arrested him. They also found a baggie of marijuana in his bag along with rounds of ammunition and magazines.
Craddock is facing several charges, including assault of a law enforcement officer, marijuana possession and driving without a valid driver’s license.
He was released on non-monetary bail by Magistrate Judge Xander Orenstein.
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