NEW CASTLE, Pa. — Police said a Lawrence County man charged with his fourth drunken-driving offense was fleeing police when he smashed into a police cruiser belonging to a township where another officer was killed in a similar crash earlier this month.
New Castle police said Eric Jones, 40, was driving Friday night without his headlights on when they tried to pull him over.
Authorities said Jones, driving with a suspended license, led officers on a chase that ended when he crashed into the cruiser from neighboring Shenango Township. Nobody was hurt.
Police said they found Jones hiding in the woods after he abandoned his car.
Jones will have a preliminary hearing Thursday in the crash. He faces aggravated assault, fleeing police and drunken driving among 21 charges.
On May 2, Shenango Township Officer William "Jerry" McCarthy IV was killed when a driver with a suspended license was being chased by New Castle police. That woman allegedly rammed McCarthy's cruiser.
WPXI
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