Clairton man found guilty of attempted murder in 2023 police chase, shooting

Throughout his trial, Bruce Alvarado has watched a large television screen in the courtroom as prosecutors played police body camera footage showing the chaos of a chase that ended in Allegheny Township with a police officer being shot twice.

On Friday, the Clairton man stood and watched as jurors convicted him of attempted murder and 15 other charges.

After the jury foreperson read the guilty verdict on the most serious attempted murder charge, Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputies immediately moved in and handcuffed Alvarado, 40. In addition, he was convicted on the fifth day of trial of assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, weapons violations, fleeing from police and related offenses. Jurors deliberated about two hours.

He faces a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison on the assault of a law enforcement officer count and up to 40 years on the attempted murder charge. Assistant District Attorneys Adam Barr and Jeremy Mains embraced Monroeville Patrolman Craig Huhn, who appeared to wipe away tears, after the verdict was read.

Prosecutors said Alvarado led police on a 30-mile chase Nov. 10, 2023 in a stolen Jeep Patriot through two counties. The pursuit started when police tried to stop the SUV in Turtle Creek as Alvarado took a passenger to buy drugs, according to trial testimony. It ended on Route 356 with the shooting at a roundabout near Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township.

Huhn testified this week that he was shot in the wrist and leg. Jurors have watched numerous videos from police body cameras that showed the aftermath of the 30-minute police chase through numerous communities, including Monroeville, Murrysville and Export.

It ended when the SUVs Huhn and Alvarado were driving crashed side-by-side, trapping Huhn inside as the gunfire started.

Defense attorney Ken Noga focused on the word intent as he tried to convince jurors to find Alvarado not guilty of the most serious offenses while acknowledging the defendant committed other crimes, such as fleeing. Noga declined to comment after the verdict.

During closing arguments, Noga said Alvarado didn’t intend to shoot Huhn, but instead called it a last-ditch effort to escape the parade of lights and sirens following him. Alvarado fired the gun randomly and indiscriminately, he said.

“Desperate people do desperate things,” Noga argued.

But Barr said the six bullet holes in Huhn’s Monroeville police SUV drivers side door is indicative of Alvarado’s mindset.

“When he gets desperate, when Officer Huhn’s boxing him in, that’s when his true intent shines,” Barr argued. “He has no choice left … pull that gun out and start blasting away.”

Huhn was released from the hospital the day after the shooting. Shrapnel remains lodged in his wrist and finger. He returned to work six months later.

Alvarado will be sentenced at a later date. He remains jailed without bond.

Renatta Signorini and Kaitlyn Hughes are TribLive staff writers. Renatta can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com. Kaitlyn can be reached at khughes@triblive.com.