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Cats Out Of The Bag: Man Throws Backpack Full Of Kittens During Police Chase

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GREENSBURG (KDKA) - It's a complicated crime saga involving a police chase, a man wanted for retail theft, a determined police K-9 and a backpack full of kittens.

Greensburg Police say they had been on the lookout for Thomas Campbell for some time. The 37-year-old was wanted to for retail theft charges. Driving through Jeannette, Greensburg Detective John Swank spotted Campbell walking along Evans Avenue and tried to apprehend him, but Campbell fought him off and ran.

Thomas Campbell
Photo Credit: (Westmoreland County Jail)

Campbell managed to get in his Jeep but not before tossing a backpack into a parking lot. Police chased Campbell for about a mile until he wrecked his vehicle and tried to hide under a nearby shed. This is where K-9 Officer Falco did his part pulling the wanted man out by his arm.

But what about the backpack? With Campbell in custody, Detective Swank went back to Evans Avenue to see if it was still there. It was. When he unzipped it, he almost let the cat (or cats) out of the bag, literally.

Inside were five very small kittens. All of the fearful felines appeared to be unhurt.

The kittens are being taken care of at a Greensburg veterinary clinic. Thomas Campbell is in the Westmoreland County Jail held on theft, fleeing and eluding police and animal cruelty charges.

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