Arnold man charged after 20-mile chase

Sept. 30--An almost 20-mile chase early Sunday that started in Harmar and in which he smashed into a police car en route ended with a 23-year-old Arnold man facing numerous charges, state police said.

Martez Dana Whitlow is accused of leading state police and several municipal police on the chase starting about 3:30 a.m.

<p>State police said they tried to pull him over along Freeport Road in Harmar after witnessing a traffic violation.

But Whitlow allegedly sped off toward RIDC Park in O'Hara and made his way onto Route 28 northbound.

The chase continued as Whitlow took Exit 12A to the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer, state police said in a report.

Police said Whitlow wound his way back to Riddle Run Road in Springdale Township and got back to Freeport Road -- where he eluded two police cars that were blocking the intersection.

Then he turned left and headed toward the Ninth Street Bridge in New Kensington but didn't get very far.

A Springdale Borough police car tried a rolling road block in front of the car. But Whitlow attempted to pass the slower moving police car on the left and smashed into it.

A nearby state police officer forced Whitlow's car to turn sideways about a quarter of a mile from the New Kensington bridge to bring the chase to a screeching halt.

The Springdale officer wasn't hurt, but police Chief Julio F. Medeiros III said several thousand dollars of damage was caused to the car.

According to court records, Whitlow is facing charges of aggravated assault, two counts of drunken driving, two counts of fleeing police, causing an accident involving another moving car. He also faces eight motor vehicle charges including driving with a suspended license, not having insurance, not staying in his lane and careless and reckless driving.A judge in Allegheny County Night Court sent him to the county jail in lieu of $25,000 bond pending an Oct. 6 preliminary hearing before District Judge David J. Sosovicka.

Chuck Biedka is a staff writer for Trib Total Media.

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