A North Carolina man is facing several charges after police say he stole a maintenance truck Friday evening and moments later drove it into a building at Pittsburgh International Airport.
Harry Griffith, 35, was arrested Saturday. He is charged with recklessly endangering another person, harassment, ethnic intimidation, criminal mischief, theft by unlawful taking, unauthorized use of automobiles and driving under the influence, according to a criminal complaint.
Allegheny County Police responded to the long-term lot at the airport around 6 p.m. Friday after receiving reports of a man banging on cars and running between vehicles.
When officers arrived on scene, they found a bearded male, later identified as Griffith, lying on his back complaining of pain in his hands, knees and head. After observing abrasions on his knee, hand and arm, Griffith was taken to the hospital.
Officers also observed a pickup truck belonging to the Airport Authority that had gone through the closed glass doors of the moving walkway that connects the landside terminal and the Hyatt Regency Hotel with long-term parking. The truck hit a cement pillar and sustained severe damage to the front driver side.
According to the complaint, a field maintenance employee parked the truck to collect garbage in the area of the moving walkway. As he walked around the building he heard a loud noise, glass shattering and a vehicle hitting the wall, officials said. When the worker looked toward the noise, he saw Griffith get out of the truck, the complaint reads.
Griffith then started running down the center walkway toward the hotel. The worker told Griffith to stop, but he kept running into the hotel lobby and into the parking lot, officials said.
According to the complaint, the worker, who called 911, followed Griffith into the parking lot and heard him yell, “What’s wrong with me. Somebody help me.”
At that point, Griffith turned and started chasing the worker, who began running between cars to stay away from him, officials said.
The worker told police Griffith fell to the ground as officers were arriving on scene.
In their investigation, police spoke with two witnesses who said they drove into the long-term lot when they were encountered by a bearded male. The man asked them for a light, and when they said they did not have one, the man said a racial slur, officials said.
A preliminary screening of Griffith showed he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.235 percent, according to the complaint. The legal limit to drive a car is 0.08 percent.
Griffith was transported to Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh for detention and processing.
According to court documents, a preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 21 with District Judge Anthony Saveikis.
