A North Carolina man was pursued by police for about 12 miles on Route 30 Wednesday morning, according to court papers.
Ligonier Valley police said Eric W. Horsfield, 70, drove at a safe speed and stopped for all red lights while police cars with their lights flashing followed between Ligonier Township and Unity.
The chase started when a man later identified as Horsfield was reportedly sleeping on top of his car at 9:40 a.m. at the GetGo station on Route 30 in Ligonier Borough. When he awoke, police said he yelled at customers and headed west on the highway.
Officers caught up with him and found the Acura’s Illinois license plate was invalid. Police said they tried to make a traffic stop, but Horsfield kept going. He made gestures during the pursuit, indicating he was driving forward while waving a coffee cup he eventually tossed out the window.
Latrobe police unsuccessfully tried talking him into pulling over through open vehicle windows during the chase, according to court papers. The pursuit ended at Mountain View in Unity when a state trooper helped the other police box the Acura in on the highway and pulled Horsfield from the drivers seat, authorities said.
Horsfield is charged with fleeing from police, resisting arrest, driving an unregistered vehicle and driving without a license. Bail was set at $25,000 and Horsfield was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for June 28. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.
