Police: Suspect Jumps From Roof & Flees, Plunges 15-Feet Into Storm Drain To Elude Capture
JEANNETTE (KDKA) – A man is in custody after police say he jumped first from a roof, led officers on a chase through Jeannette, and then jumped 15-feet into a storm drainage tunnel to try and avoid capture.
At 29, Chastin Crosby already has a lengthy criminal history.
Jeannette Police say he added to it after they found the Jeannette man standing on the roof of a home on South 6th Street, trying to break in.
Court records say Crosby was angry over his former girlfriend moving on. Crosby was all for coming down, but the talking part, not so much.
According to police, Crosby jumped off the roof and hit the ground running. Police say Crosby ran past the lone officer and jumped a fence. The chase was on. At one point, police say they found Crosby face down in some weeds in a wooded area off Divisions and Chestnut streets.
It had seemed Crosby was done running. He wasn't. Crosby took off again. Attempts to tase Crosby didn't work as the man on the run headed toward South 5th Street.
Once again, it appeared the chase was over. Crosby was cornered behind a house on South 5th Street. He had nowhere to go. But he had already made a huge leap to get away from police, and he was about to do it again.
Crosby jumped some 15 feet into Brush Creek and dashed deep into a subterranean storm drain. So Crosby was in a sewer drain somewhere under Jeannette. The officer was left with few options other than go in and get him.
Delores Hainsworth tells KDKA she watched law enforcement show up across from where Crosby jumped into the creek.
"There were a lot of policemen running into the backyard," Hainsworth said.
Meanwhile underground in the darkness, a lone Jeannette officer battled Crosby before finally putting him in cuffs.
Jeannette fire crews dropped ladders down into the creek, allowing police a way to get Crosby and themselves out of the creek. Crosby went from out of the creek to the Westmoreland County Jail.
He's being held on $25,000 bond, charged with burglary and drug charges.
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