Medical Examiner's Office: Suspect In Carjacking Drowned
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A crash on Ft. Duquesne Boulevard Wednesday night ended the police chase of the car 19-year-old David Thomas was driving, but Thomas didn't stop there.
Police say he leaped onto a trailer on the 10th Street Bypass before his last attempt to flee.
"In the process of doing that a gun was dropped," said Cmdr. Eric Holmes of Pittsburgh Police. "And then the actor subsequently, the driver jumped into the Allegheny River."
The water temperature was 41 degrees when he jumped in. River Rescue eventually pulled him out, and he was taken to a hospital where he died.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner said he drowned.
On the North Side where Thomas most recently lived, a neighbor who knew him well said he was taking communication courses at CCAC and showed signs of promise, but seemingly took a bad turn just recently. He asked not to be identified.
Neighbor: "And I'm just sorry that that had to happen to him."
KDKA's Harold Hayes: "And you tried to mentor him?"
Neighbor: "Yeah, I mentored him for a year. And he got on the right track, and then I guess friends, peer pressure took him somewhere else, you know; but we used to talk a lot like every day."
Police charged two people who were in the car with him in connection with the incident.
The car was pursued because police say it had been carjacked at gunpoint Monday night at 39th and Mintwood in Lawrenceville.
When it was spotted Wednesday night, the chase began on Liberty Avenue.
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