Officer nearly hit by car after police chase in Duquesne; suspect in custody

DUQUESNE, Pa. — A Wednesday police chase in Duquesne ended with a shattered window and a trip to the hospital.

Channel 11 has learned one man was arrested after nearly hitting a police officer with his car.

Surveillance video shared exclusively with Channel 11 News shows the moments a driver in a white SUV nearly hit the officer at a traffic stop.

That stop was the middle of the chase. It began less than a mile away outside a local funeral home. According to a criminal complaint, police saw the vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed and attempted to pull over the driver.

They say the driver, Mohammad Afzali, refused to pull over.

They were finally able to stop him outside Banyas Collision Service on Kennywood Boulevard. That’s where the video picks up.

The incident happened so quickly, Banya’s owner didn’t realize what was happening.

“We were in the back, actually, doing some work to a truck and didn’t hear a single thing outside,” he said.

According to police, Afzali then drove to Duquesne Place Drive and parked. Police approached the SUV with guns drawn and broke the driver side window.

“The guns were drawn on the guy already. The tasers were out. They tell him to get out of the vehicle,” Gregory Fields said. He started recording after Afzali was tased.

“Nobody wants to see it. We got kids around here, man. A lot of kids. For them to just break the guy’s window,” Fields said.

Mohammad Afzali is facing a number of charges including criminal attempt for nearly hitting that officer.

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