BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Newly released body and dash camera footage shows the violent and chaotic sequence of events that led to a fatal police shooting after a man stole an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper’s vehicle and led authorities on a high-speed pursuit into Pennsylvania, CBS News reported.
The incident began on April 11 when police say the suspect crashed a car on the Ohio Turnpike and became aggressive with an Ohio trooper who responded, according to the report. Video shows the man refusing to comply with commands, threatening the trooper and physically assaulting him.
The man briefly walked away from the trooper before turning around and charging back at him. The trooper attempted to deploy a TASER, but it was ineffective, video shows. After the attempted deployment, the man started to throw punches at the officer.
“Next time you touch me, you gonna die, next time you touch me, you gonna die,” the suspect can be heard saying in the video.
He was able to overpower the officer, climbing on top of him and knocking his body camera loose. Bystanders attempted to de-escalate the situation.
The suspect eventually released the trooper and fled in the officer’s patrol vehicle, heading eastbound into Pennsylvania.
For about 11 minutes, he drove erratically, weaving through traffic and nearly crashing multiple times while speaking incoherently to himself, according to audio captured during the pursuit.
“Hey, car, I rebuke anything that gets behind me, I rebuke anything that’s in front of me,” the suspect says while driving the cruiser.
Pennsylvania State Police caught up with the suspect in North Sewickley Township, Beaver County, where they disabled the vehicle by causing it to crash into a barrier, swerve and careen off the roadway. The cruiser rolled over, trapping the suspect inside. As troopers attempted to remove him from the wrecked patrol car, the man continued to resist. Video recorded by a passing motorist shows him engaging in a physical altercation with police before he was shot and killed.
Authorities later identified the man as a Michigan resident with a history of violent offenses, according to the report. Court records show he previously pleaded guilty to nine home invasion charges in 2012. The incident remains under investigation by state authorities.
