PITTSBURGH — A man is facing a list of charges after police said he held a gun to a driver’s head during a police chase Tuesday night that ended with a crash in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood.
Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Sonya Toler said someone called 911 after seeing a man with two guns in the back seat of a car who appeared to be forcing another man to drive.
According to a criminal complaint, the driver picked up 22-year-old Trevonte Eggleton, who pulled out a gun after getting into an argument with another man in the car. The driver told police that Eggleton robbed the passenger before he was told to drive to the passenger’s house.
When police sirens were heard, Eggleton pointed the gun at the driver’s head and told him to keep driving, the complaint said. The passenger was no longer in the car.
Officers pursued the car for approximately two minutes before the car collided with a parked vehicle on Thomas Boulevard, Toler said.
The driver was ejected from the car after attempting to get out while it was still in motion, police said. He crawled from the crash scene as he flagged officers to his location. He was taken UPMC Presbyterian Hospital with numerous injuries.
Eggleton, who initially refused to get out of the car, was in possession of a bag of marijuana, police said. Two guns were found in the back of the car.
Police said there was nearly two victims, but a second person got out of the vehicle to get the robber cash. When the robber heard sirens in the distance, he allegedly forced the driver to take off.
Eggleton was arrested and is facing charges including aggravated assault, kidnapping, robbery, carrying a firearm without a license, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person.
Tuesday night's pursuit is one of several chases in recent weeks that began in populated areas and ended with drivers losing control and crashing. Officials said this chase was different because it involved a kidnapping and a robbery.
Unlike some of the recent police pursuits involving non-violent felons, the one in East Liberty Tuesday night met the official guidelines from the Allegheny County Chief's Association.
Josh Barna, a person who was near the chase, said, "I just kept hearing sirens. Usually it will take about 10-15 seconds for them to go down Penn Avenue. It just sounded like it kept going for like a minute or two minutes."
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