https://triblive.com/local/westmoreland/high-speed-chase-in-greensburg-ends-in-arrest/
High-speed chase in Greensburg ends in arrest
A Pittsburgh man who led police on a morning chase in Greensburg and Hempfield is accused of trying to carjack two people at a gas station before a Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy tased him, according to court papers.
Police said the chase started when Matthew Allen Armstrong, 36, fled in his car Friday after Greensburg police arrived on North Pennsylvania Avenue to investigate a reported assault. Officers followed the Lincoln MKZ around 9 a.m. onto Harrison Avenue and Clopper Street before turning onto College Avenue.
Investigators said Armstrong nearly hit an occupied vehicle and two pedestrians. He accelerated to 90 mph on College Avenue, where the speed limit is 45 mph, and swerved around traffic before getting onto Toll Route 66 in Hempfield and traveling 110 mph, according to court papers.
Armstrong then turned onto Route 30 west and eventually stopped at a gas station where police said he jumped out of his car and tried to steal another vehicle occupied by two people. The deputy initially attempted to hold Armstrong at gunpoint but used a taser when the suspect ran away, according to court papers.
He is charged with robbery of a motor vehicle, theft, flight to avoid apprehension, reckless endangerment and numerous summary vehicle code violations. Armstrong was arraigned Wednesday and was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison without bail.
He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A Sept. 14 preliminary hearing is set.
It wasn’t the first time Armstrong had been accused of fleeing from police. He served six to 12 months in jail and three years on probation in connection with a 2014 fleeing and reckless driving case filed by Port Authority Police in Allegheny County, according to online court records.
He served four to 10 years in a state prison on robbery and terroristic threats charges stemming from a 2016 incident in Ross Township. Police there filed charges of accidents involving damage and reckless driving in connection with a June incident. A preliminary hearing in that case is set for later this month.
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