New Kensington robbery suspect accused of trying to crash into police cars with child on board
New Kensington police say a man who fled a traffic stop had a child in the car when he led officers on a high-speed chase during which he tried to crash into police vehicles.
Benjamin Alexander Ploski, 34, of the 800 block of East Hills Drive in New Kensington faces six felony charges: three counts of aggravated assault and one count each of fleeing from police, endangering the welfare of children and flight to avoid trial. He also was issued two traffic citations.
Ploski was being detained in the Westmoreland County jail in lieu of a $10,000 cash bond. A preliminary hearing before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. is scheduled for April 6, court records show.
Police wrote in a criminal complaint charging Ploski that officers from New Kensington and Allegheny Township were searching for him Monday because a warrant was issued for his arrest on a felony robbery charge.
Police said they were monitoring license plate readers about 7:30 p.m. along Route 56 when Ploski stopped at a traffic signal near Wildlife Lodge Road, investigators said.
He sped off toward Seventh Street and tried to crash into a police vehicle that drove around him to try to get him to stop, the complaint said.
Another officer followed Ploski onto East Hills Drive, where he again tried to crash into the police vehicle, authorities said.
Police said Ploski pulled up to his house on East Hills Drive and ran inside with the child in tow and locked the door behind him.
Police broke through the door and found Ploski hiding in a bedroom closet and the child on a bed in the room.
Ploski struggled briefly with police while they placed him in handcuffs and took him into custody.
The warrant was issued for Ploski’s arrest after he failed to appear for a hearing on a felony robbery charge filed June 22 by New Kensington police.
A preliminary hearing on the robbery charge will be conducted at the same time as the hearing on the most recent set of charges, court records show.
Tony LaRussa is a TribLive reporter. A Pittsburgh native, he covers crime and courts in the Alle-Kiski Valley. He can be reached at tlarussa@triblive.com.
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