4 Juveniles In Custody Following Downtown Police Chase
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Four juveniles are in custody after a police chase ended in downtown Pittsburgh Monday afternoon.
According to police, the incident started when someone allegedly pulled a gun on a male at Allderdice High School. The suspects fled the scene in a stolen silver Ford Explorer.
Shortly after 5 p.m., officers spotted the vehicle on the West Elizabeth Street Bridge and followed it to the Liberty Bridge. When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver took off.
The vehicle made an illegal turn into oncoming traffic on Crosstown Boulevard and continued toward PPG Paints Arena. Eventually, the vehicle turned on Crawford Street and struck a civilian's vehicle at the Fifth Avenue intersection. A woman in the other car was taken to Magee Hospital in stable condition.
At that time, four juveniles jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot. Two males, ages 16 and 17, were detained quickly without incident. The 16-year-old had marijuana on his person.
However, the 15-year-old male driver fled down Fifth Avenue toward Stevenson Street. He was holding a gun when he became trapped in a parking lot. As he turned toward a pursuing officer, he was instructed to drop the weapon multiple times. The suspect refused and ran through some bushes into an alley near Watson Street.
As he tried to hop over a locked gate, the officer deployed his Taser. While it didn't subdue the suspect, it did force him to drop the gun. The suspect continued to run for a short distance before the officer was able to apprehend him.
Officers recovered the gun, which had a bullet in the chamber. He also had two bundles of heroin in his pocket.
As for the fourth juvenile, the 17-year-old male was taken into custody near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Magee Street without incident. The teen had a gun, two bundles of heroin and a bag of marijuana in his possession.
The juveniles were taken to the Shuman Center and face a list of charges including possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and criminal conspiracy.
The 17-year-old with the gun is facing additional weapons and drug charges.
Meanwhile, the driver is facing additional weapons and drug charges along with several driving violations in relation to the chase.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
