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2 Injured In Crash Say Police Officer Was Speeding, Had No Lights Or Sirens

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Four people, including a Pittsburgh police officer, were injured in a 3-car collision in Larimer on Monday, but exactly what happened depends on who you ask.

Police say one of the vehicles hit the officer's car first, but a woman who was injured says the patrol car was speeding and had no lights or siren activated.

east-liberty-boulevard-larimer-avenue-police-car-crash
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

This was the scene early Monday evening. It's the intersection of East Liberty Boulevard and Larimer Avenue. Police say an officer from Zone 5 was heading to Morningside. The reason? State police had issued a be-on-the-lookout call for a vehicle.

But the officer didn't get to the destination because of the crash, involving the police cruiser and two other cars.

Now according to police, the officer was crossing the intersection, was hit by one car and then pushed into another car. But if you talk to the people that were in one of those cars, they tell a different story.

"The cop car hit our car, then hit the other car," says Elleanna Adams.

"I'm driving, and the cop hit us," says Shakur Bruce. "He just hit us."

There were a total of four people in their small SUV, including a 3-year-old boy. They say the police car was traveling at a high rate of speed with no lights or sirens as it approached the intersection.

"He was going so fast, I didn't even know he was coming," Bruce said. "That's how fast he was going."

Police say this was not a chase or pursuit. The officer was heading to a location to check on a stolen car. State police will only say it was their case, the car was taken from another state and was located after the crash.

"No sirens, no lights, nothing," Bruce said. "Just a car flying up the street."

Both Adams and Bruce were treated at a local hospital and released. Bruce's mother is still there with a fractured back. The toddler wasn't hurt. Police say the officer involved was also transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police say it will be some time before the actual report on this crash is completed, but these two say they had a close brush with death, and they want to know why.

"There was no sound," Adams said. "There was no way to recognize a police car coming down at the street at the speed it was coming."

"He almost killed us," Bruce said.

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