IUP Football Player Charged In Weekend Incident
INDIANA, Pa. (KDKA) -- An IUP football player is facing charges after leading police on a chase.
Alexander Berdahl, 19, is charged with criminal trespass, resisting arrest, escape, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, public drunkenness and underage drinking.
Police say he had been drinking Saturday night when undercover police overheard him talking about damaging cars with a stick he had in his hand. They followed him and a short time later saw him trying to pry open a window of a building on Church Street.
When police approached Berdahl, he took off. The suspect ran into an apartment building and jumped off of a second story roof, even breaking a fence on the way down.
Police say the chase didn't end there. Berdahl then ran to a muddy area where he fell and continued to resist officers by flailing his arms. It took four police officers and pepper spray to eventually subdue him and take him into custody.
He was taken to the hospital to be evaluated, but did not suffer any injuries in the fall.
Berdahl is a starting linebacker for the IUP football team. The team lost 28-10 to Cal in a rivalry game known as the Coal Bowl earlier in the day.
Berdahl has been suspended indefinitely from the IUP football team, but his status as a student remains the same. He could face additional punishment in the university judicial system.
Berdahl was released from jail after posting $5,000 bond.
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