Passenger testifies Bruce Alvarado was shooting at police after 2023 car chase

Amber Barkhamer wanted out of the stolen Jeep Patriot.

Police were chasing the SUV with their sirens blaring and lights flashing while Bruce Alvarado, 40, stayed on the road, dodging other motorists and weaving in and out of traffic, she testified Tuesday.

“He said he wasn’t going to jail today,” she said.

The police pursuit continued for miles, from Allegheny County into Westmoreland before ending in Allegheny Township where Monroeville Patrolman Craig Huhn was shot twice. Prosecutors believe Alvarado pulled the trigger from inside the Jeep.

“To your knowledge, who does it appear that he’s shooting at?” Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Mains asked Barkhamer.

“The police,” she responded.

Her testimony came on the second day of trial against Alvarado, who is accused of leading police on a chase Nov. 10, 2023, through Monroeville, Murrysville, Export and other communities.

The pursuit started when police tried to stop the stolen Jeep in Turtle Creek. It ended on Route 356 at a roundabout near Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township. Alvarado is charged with attempted homicide, assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault and related offenses.

Jurors on Tuesday watched several videos from body cameras of police officers who were involved in the chase and aftermath, including that of Huhn. He was shot in the leg and wrist.

Barkhamer testified that she requested a ride from Alvarado to get heroin. After the crash, Alvarado laid across the front seat with his back in her lap, pulling her hair while firing the gun, she said.

Huhn testified he could not see who was firing the shots as he was trapped in his Ford Explorer patrol unit after the Jeep Patriot collided with it in the roundabout. The gunfire came through his SUV and he eventually dove out the passenger side.

“It’s a pretty distinct sound of bullets coming through a car door,” he said.

Huhn returned to work after six months off the job. He still has shrapnel lodged inside his arm and a finger.

Several other officers testified Tuesday of their roles in the chase and what footage from their body cameras showed.

Monroeville Patrolman Christopher Dick said he saw Huhn lying on the street with gunshot wounds at the crash scene. He drew his gun and went over the to Jeep Patriot where he saw a man lying in a woman’s lap and his feet against the driver’s side door.

“All I heard was the female yelling ‘Don’t shoot, I’m a hostage’ but I was just yelling at the driver to show me his hands, to get out of the vehicle,” Dick testified.

Barkhamer said Alvarado was Tased and removed from the SUV.

Forensics experts are expected to take the stand Wednesday.