Sources: Police officer shot following chase through Allegheny, Westmoreland County
ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) - A police officer has been hospitalized after being shot following an apparent chase Friday evening.
Sources tell KDKA-TV that a police officer responding out of Monroeville was shot in Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County, and they're expected to be okay.
They were flown to UPMC Presbyterian for treatment. The injured officer was shot in the arm and leg, sources added.
Just before 7 p.m., Pitcairn police saw the vehicle on the Tri-Boro Expressway and tried to stop the suspect. That is when the chase began. The suspect led officers through Pitcairn and Murrysville before being stopped in Allegheny Township.
The officer was said to be shot while he was approaching the vehicle in the pursuit.
The incident also prompted a large and intense police presence. Spike strips were deployed, and the vehicle crashed near Melwood Road.
The suspect was in a stolen vehicle at the time of the pursuit, and a be-on-the-lookout alert had been issued for the suspect, Monroeville Police Chief Doug Cole told KDKA-TV's Jennifer Borrasso.
There is no current safety threat to the public, and the suspect is in police custody as of Friday night.
On Saturday morning, the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office said they have charged Bruce Alvarado of Clairton with 15 counts and those include attempted homicide, assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, firearms violations, and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer.
Once interviewed, the female passenger in the vehicle with Alvarado told investigators that Alvarado made statements during the pursuit that he would not stop and would 'blow a cop's head off' before she heard him fire multiple rounds from a handgun, according to a release given by the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office.
"First and foremost, we are so grateful this injured Monroeville Police Officer is going to recover. The outcome of this pursuit could have been drastically different had it not been for the incredible, cooperative response from police departments in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties," District Attorney Ziccarelli said.
The 38-year-old was arraigned on Saturday morning and taken to the Westmoreland County Prison.
