Vandergrift man with suspended license accused of hitting police car and fleeing
A Vandergrift man led police on a high-speed chase in New Kensington on Sunday after having been told by police not to drive his vehicle and later hitting a police car with it, according to arrest papers filed against him.
Police charged Cristian Michael Brown, 25, with offenses including a felony count of fleeing or attempting to elude police, misdemeanor counts of prohibited weapons and DUI, and summary traffic offenses.
A New Kensington officer first encountered Brown during a traffic stop behind Giant Eagle around 12:45 a.m., the criminal complaint states. A mostly full bottle of tequila was inside the SUV he was driving.
Police noted that Brown’s driver’s license is suspended. He was told not to drive his vehicle and to call for a ride, according to the complaint.
Officers saw Brown’s vehicle again, shortly before 3:30 a.m., about to pull out of the alley behind the parking lot of the Elks Lodge bar onto Ninth Street. Police noted it stayed in the alley an abnormally long time until the police cars were out of sight.
An officer circled around the block to 10th Street at Fourth Avenue, where the SUV turned left onto 10th Street from Fourth Avenue — hitting the police vehicle, the complaint states. Brown was identified as the driver.
Police said Brown fled at a high speed. He was stopped when officers boxed in his vehicle at Ninth Street and Third Avenue, the complaint states.
Brown was ordered at gunpoint to get out of the vehicle but refused to comply, the complaint states. Officers removed him from the SUV to the ground, where he was handcuffed, police said.
Brown smelled of alcohol and was unable to stand on his own, police said. Officers said he was too intoxicated for field sobriety tests and did not answer when asked to submit to a breath test at the police station, the complaint states.
The tequila bottle that was seen nearly full earlier was found almost empty on the floor of the SUV, police said.
Brown was found to be carrying brass knuckles, the complaint states.
Brown was arraigned Sunday and sent to the Westmoreland County jail on $25,000 bond.
His preliminary hearing before New Kensington District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. is scheduled for March 20.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
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