Man in custody after crashing stolen vehicle in Whitehall
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A man was taken into custody following a violent crash after a high-speed police chase that ended in Whitehall.
Police say the chase began when Brentwood Police were notified that a 2019 Jeep Compass that had been reported stolen from Avis Car Rental was spotted traveling outbound through the Liberty Tunnel in Pittsburgh.
A woman from Monroeville is accused of fraudulently renting vehicles out of an Avis rental car location where she was a regional manager in exchange for cash and drugs. https://t.co/g0XfZn3BnF
— KDKA (@KDKA) December 28, 2022
According to court paperwork, officers from Brentwood were parked along Rt. 51, expecting that the vehicle could be headed their direction.
The vehicle passed by officers just before 11 p.m. and officers attempted to pull the vehicle over.
At this point, the driver of the vehicle allegedly struck an unmarked police SUV that was involved in the chase and then sped away.
Police say that the driver then went through a red light at the intersection of Rt. 51 and Brownsville Road, nearly hitting a vehicle head-on while driving in the wrong lane of traffic.
After turning onto Stilley Road, police say the driver ran a stop sign and crashed into a telephone pole.
Police say the driver fled the vehicle and was located a short distance away.
The driver was identified as Edward Reynolds after he was taken to Mercy Hospital.
Reynolds was wanted on a felony warrant out of Ross Township on drug charges in addition to parole violations.
Police say Reynolds is now facing over a dozen new charges, including reckless endangerment, fleeing police, traffic violations, reckless driving, and receiving stolen property.
It's unclear what role Reynolds may have contributed towards the theft of the vehicles from Avis Rental Company, first reported by KDKA-TV on Wednesday.