Parkway East reopened after police pursuit, crash in Squirrel Hill Tunnels

The Parkway East in Pittsburgh was closed both directions Wednesday afternoon in the wake of a police pursuit in which the suspect crashed his car in the Squirrel Hill Tunnels.

Allegheny County dispatch said the incident began near the Tunnels shortly before 12:40 p.m.

According to a state police release, a trooper observed a black Nissan Altima being driven in “an erratic manner” along the parkway so the trooper pulled the car over.

The driver, identified only as an 18-year-old man from Pittsburgh, took off into the Squirrel Hill Tunnel, where he struck another vehicle and then fled on foot, the report stated.

Police said the trooper heard what he believed to be a gunshot, and a gun was located at the scene.

The suspect ran out of the tunnel but was caught and taken into custody. The charges he faces were not immediately released.

An Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said two people were taken to area hospitals as a result of the incident.

State police indicated one of the injured was a woman driving the vehicle that was struck in the tunnel.

The suspect also had minor injuries as a result of the crash, the report stated.

Dispatchers said the roads were reopened shortly after 2 p.m.