A Youngwood man is behind bars after state police said he led troopers on a 22-mile chase over the weekend that began in Pittsburgh and ended in Hempfield, according to court papers.
Ryan E. McKnight, 36, did not have a valid drivers license, police said.
Troopers were traveling east on the Parkway East near the Squirrel Hill Tunnel at 1:30 a.m. Saturday when they spotted a Hyundai Tucson change lanes without signaling, according to court papers. The SUV pulled over briefly for a traffic stop before the tunnel then kept driving, police said.
The driver exited the highway onto Route 30, and troopers pursued him through a red light in East McKeesport.Spike strips placed at the intersection of Route 30 and Possum Hollow Road in Hempfield disabled three tires on the SUV. The vehicle stopped nearby at Route 30 and Lowry Avenue, where the driver attempted to run, according to court papers.
He was tazed and arrested, police said. Investigators seized a suspected piece of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia, according to court papers.
Speeds during the reported chase reached as fast as 70 mph, police said. Authorities said McKnight appeared to be under the influence and he had blood drawn at a hospital before being lodged at the Westmoreland County Prison.
He is charged with driving under the influence, fleeing from police, driving on a suspended license and several other offenses. He is being held on $100,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for May 14.
McKnight was sentenced in July to one year in an intermediate punishment program in connection with a drug paraphernalia charge in Greensburg, according to online court records. He was sentenced in June to a jail term on a simple assault charge in Blair County court.
