A couple of seconds after a lengthy police chase ended in a collision with a stolen Jeep Patriot, Monroeville Patrolman Craig Huhn came under gunfire.

“By the second gunshot, I could identify that I was being shot at,” he testified Monday.

The SUV collided with the Ford Explorer patrol unit in a roundabout on Route 356 in Allegheny Township at the conclusion of the chase Nov. 10, 2023. The Jeep’s passenger side was touching the police car’s driver’s side, trapping Hahn inside.

“Pretty quickly, I realize I’m shot in the arm,” he said during the first day of trial for Bruce Alvarado, 40, the man prosecutors believe was behind the wheel of the Jeep and responsible for firing the shots. “I felt excruciating pain and lost mobility in my hand.”

The gunfire didn’t stop.

“Once I was shot in the leg, I didn’t know how many more rounds I was going to experience, so I decided to retreat from my vehicle,” Huhn said.

He dove across the passenger seat and onto the road. A chaotic scene was unfolding as police attempted to get the driver out of the Jeep and into custody.

Testimony opened Monday in the case against Alvarado, who is accused of leading police on the Nov. 10, 2023, chase through Monroeville, Murrysville, Export and other communities in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties.

The chase started when police tried to stop the stolen Jeep in Turtle Creek. It ended on Route 356 near Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township.

Jurors watched a video from Huhn’s dashboard that showed him catch up with the chase on Route 48 in Monroeville near Haymaker Road and then follow it on various roads, including Routes 22 and 66, until it ended at the roundabout.

Alvarado is charged with attempted homicide, assault of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault and related offenses.

Defense attorney Ken Noga said he doesn’t dispute that Alvarado was behind the wheel or that he was fleeing from police.

Instead, he asked jurors during his opening statement to consider what Alvarado’s intent was and how close the two SUVs were when they crashed.

“Sometimes, individuals have other motivation other than to kill, other than to injure,” Noga argued.

Assistant District Attorney Jeremy Mains told jurors they’ll see plenty of video footage from police dash cameras and body cameras to piece together what happened that night. Prosecutors planned to play Huhn’s body-camera footage Tuesday morning.

“Actions speak volumes and, on Nov. 10, 2023, Bruce Alvarado certainly had something to say through his actions,” Mains argued.

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

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