LAWRENCE COUNTY, Pa. — A man who is suspected in multiple armed robberies was shot by police early Tuesday after a chase that began in Lawrence County, according to a criminal complaint.
Investigators said the incident began about 3:30 a.m. when Shenango Township police attempted to pull over a suspicious vehicle for traffic violations. A man was driving and a woman was also in the car. The man refused to stop, which prompted the chase.
Police said the chase involved officers from several departments and went into Butler County and back into Lawrence County, taking at least four roads. It came to an end on Interstate 376 in Union Township.
Several shots were fired by a New Castle officer at the man, who had a gun pointed at the woman’s head, according to police. The man, 34-year-old Shawn Hobel, of Ellwood City, was struck multiple times and was undergoing surgery at a hospital.
Hobel faces 10 charges in connection with the police chase. Police said he is also suspected in multiple armed robberies in the New Castle area. Authorities said they believe Hobel was casing a Sheetz in Shenango Township when the chase began.
The woman was not injured and police have not filed charges against her.
I-376 was shut down for several hours as a helicopter was used to take aerial photos and police investigated.
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