WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — A Westmoreland County man is facing charges after police say he led them on a 25-minute pursuit that reached speeds of up to 90 miles per hour.
Police said 26-year-old Luis Marsalese was speeding when he took off from police, drove through a campground and ditched his car in the city of Latrobe.
“You’re talking about the most serious thing that would’ve happened to the person was getting a ticket for going 75 in a 45,” said Trooper Steve Limani with Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg.
Marsalese told troopers he was scared when he allegedly led them from the borough onto Route 981, reaching speeds of up to 90 miles per hour before driving right into Keystone State Park.
Troopers said he was flying through the campground and almost hit several people walking along the road.
“We’re very fortunate nobody got injured, and it’s a shame because this didn’t need to happen,” Limani said. “That’s the moral of the story. This did not have to happen. It could’ve been a citation and led to a bunch of criminal charges.”
The chase came to an abrupt end when Marsalese pulled onto Water Street in Latrobe.
Neighbors said troopers and city police quickly followed, but Marsalese and his passenger allegedly bailed onto the banks of the Loyalhanna River before being spotted and arrested.
“We had a really nice vantage point from on top of the hospital, where the helipad is,” Limani explained. “So we were up on the helipad surveying the area, and the lieutenant was able to see them walking along and try to hide amongst brush on the creek bed.”
11 News reached out to Marsalese for comment, but did not hear back.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
TRENDING NOW:
©2022 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
