Manhunt shuts down Route 51 after Pittsburgh officer hit by car while trying to arrest suspect
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A Pittsburgh police officer was injured while trying to arrest a burglary suspect, prompting road closures while police searched for him.
Police shut down a busy stretch of Route 51 between Bausman Street and Warrington Avenue while searching for the suspect on Tuesday afternoon. It has since reopened.
Pittsburgh Police Chief Larry Scirotto says officers were executing a warrant for a burglary when the suspect tried to flee. The chief said police fired shots at the suspect, who ran an officer over with a car. Scirotto said there was an exchange of gunfire, but when questioned, he said he didn't know if the suspect fired back.
The officer was taken to the hospital with a leg injury and significant head injury, Scirotto said, but he's expected to recover.
The suspect got a ride from someone who wasn't involved and was later arrested on the South Side, the chief said.
Allegheny County police will take over the case as is protocol when Pittsburgh police are involved in a critical incident. The suspect already faces charges in several burglaries that happened over the course of the last few weeks, as recently as Monday night, Scirotto said.
The closure on Route 51 came at a time when construction on Saw Mill Run Boulevard has already created headaches for drivers. Route 51 has been closed between Crane and Woodruff while crews demolish a bridge.
Photos show police officers near the Extra Space Storage on Route 51. Video from the Liberty Bridge shows several police officers and a SWAT vehicle driving in the area.
Stay with KDKA-TV and KDKA.com for updates to this developing story as they become available.
