Police: 19-year-old arrested following wild police chase; stolen guns, drugs recovered

A 19-year-old Hollidaysburg man is behind bars after he led police on a high-speed chase from New Kensington into Murrysville early Thursday morning.

Jerome Micha McClung faces 19 charges, among them aggravated assault, DUI, receiving stolen property, endangering the welfare of children, reckless endangerment, fleeing from an officer, causing an accident that involved damage, and illegal possession of a firearm.

At 12:41 a.m. Thursday, Arnold police were advised of a stolen Ford F-150 out of Pittsburgh in the area, according to the criminal complaint.

The truck, driven by McClung, refused to pull over in New Kensington and it continued down Greensburg Road at speeds around 80 mph, the complaint said.

It turned onto Route 66 and then, once the chase got onto Route 22, Murrysville police deployed spike strips that flattened two of the truck’s tires, the complaint said.

The truck then pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot where people in the car were trying to get out, the complaint said.

An Arnold officer attempted to position his patrol car on the passenger side of the truck when the push bar hit the rear of the vehicle, the complaint said. At some point, the truck also hit the front end of another police car.

The vehicle went across Route 22 into the intersection before Braun Avenue.

Police again maneuvered their car to prevent people inside the truck from running away. The front of the police vehicle was damaged, the complaint said.

The truck was stuck and the five people inside, including McClung, were held at gunpoint and taken into custody.

The four other people in the car were juveniles, the complaint said.

Once the truck was cleared, officers found four guns in plain view, three of which were reported stolen, according to the complaint.

Officers also found a black backpack which had a Glock handgun and women’s clothing inside. The serial number on that gun was obliterated, the complaint said.

One of the juveniles had a small bag of crack cocaine and over $1,300 in cash.

All were taken to the New Kensington police lockup for processing. While at lockup, police suspected McClung was impaired and incapable of safe driving, the complaint said.

Juvenile probation was notified of the incident. Two of the juveniles were taken to the Westmoreland County Juvenile Probation Center, and the other two were released to their guardians.

McClung was denied bail and is being held at the Westmoreland County jail.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled July 17 before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr.