Homicide suspect captured in Vandergrift after manhunt

An Apollo-area man on the run while facing vehicular homicide charges was captured in Vandergrift on Friday night hiding in the basement of a winery.

Matthew David Carlson, 35, of Spring Church, Kiski Township, faces charges of felony vehicular homicide and vehicular aggravated assault while driving under the influence, among other charges, for an incident that occurred Dec. 17, 2022, in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh police issued an arrest warrant for him Tuesday.

Police from at least nine departments swarmed the neighborhood around Washington Avenue, on the fringe of the Vandergrift business district, searching for the suspect in what started as a foot chase about 4:10 p.m.

A SWAT team was called out, and police were checking yards and going door-to-door in the neighborhood near Washington Avenue. Roads were closed along Washington Avenue from the intersection with Columbia Avenue to the Wooden Door Winery.

Police found Carlson hiding in the basement of the winery.

Vandergrift police said he had broken in through a back door of the business, which was closed at the time.

Resident Alexis Pasculle lives a few houses down from the winery on the other side of Washington Avenue.

She was among the many people who came outside to watch police search the area.

Pasculle said she had just made it home from work when police started arriving on her street.

“This is terrifying,” she said. “I have a 9-month-old daughter. I don’t want to be afraid to leave my house. I don’t want to be afraid to walk the streets I live on.”

Pasculle, who moved to the borough in October, said she had never seen anything like the police response Friday evening.

“It’s quiet,” she said of her time in Vandergrift. “You have the same amount of crime, I guess, as in all areas. But nothing like this.”

Law enforcement used a drone and New Kensington’s K-9 unit to track Carlson down.

Vandergrift patrolman Jerrod Thompson said an informant working with Parks Township police alerted them that Carlson might be hiding near a Vandergrift fire hall.

Township police then notified Vandergrift police.

“We were notified by another agency that he was in a location,” Thompson said. “A patrol officer found the car (and) got into a short pursuit with him, where (Carlson) bailed out and then he ran.

“We had visual on him and were able to contain him into a short area where we knew we had him because we had a perimeter set up. That’s when we called Westmoreland County SWAT.”

Vandergrift patrolman Jerrod Thompson talking about the SWAT situation in the borough, and apprehension of a wanted man. pic.twitter.com/V68aKtxJLr

— Mike D. (@MikeJdiVittorio) August 26, 2023

Thompson said borough police attempted to apprehend Carlson on Thursday night, but he was able to escape.

Carlson was taken into custody without incident Friday night. He was not armed.

“It did end in a peaceful resolution to the situation, and nobody was injured,” Thompson said. “I’d like to thank all the departments around there that helped us out, especially the SWAT team.”

Additional charges such as escape and resisting arrest are expected to be filed by Vandergrift police.

A Westmoreland 911 dispatcher said police from Washington Township, Greensburg, North Huntingdon, Lower Burrell, Kiski Township, Allegheny Township and New Kensington were on the scene, along with Murrysville Medic One.