Couple points police in direction of suspect who fled through park

PITTSBURGH — A police chase through a Pittsburgh park Thursday night has a man facing charges.

Police said the car chase started in Hazelwood and ended about two miles away on Riverview Trail in Frick Park.

Gabrielle Jeanmenne knew something was wrong when she saw police officers in Squirrel Hill.

“They were just patrolling, but you could see that they were leaning out of the windows looking and that’s why there was something going on,” she said. “It was not a normal call.”

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The driver, 19-year-old Alonzo Lewis, had ditched the car and made a run for it, police said. A couple in the park pointed officers in the right direction.

“It’s not something you would expect to hear around this area,” Jeanmenne said. “It went down in the middle of the area the children are or the dog park ... it’s very odd.”

An attempted traffic stop led to the chase. Police said they tried to pull Lewis over in the area of Roselle Court and Johnston Avenue in Hazelwood.

Lewis took off, driving through Hazelwood on Johnston Avenue -- at one point allegedly throwing a gun out the window -- before ending up in Frick Park, police said.

“Knowing that somebody was taken care of and they’re not still roaming around freely is more comforting,” Jeanmenne said.

Cox Media Group