A state trooper was injured in a crash last night during the pursuit of a Michigan man who fled a traffic stop in Armstrong County.
The episode began at 6:19 PM when a trooper noted a Jeep Liberty committing numerous violations on Route 422 in Kittanning Township. Pulling the vehicle, the trooper identified the driver as 23-year-old Clark Kendrick Proctor Jr. of West Bloomfield, Michigan. While speaking with Proctor, the trooper noticed the smell of marijuana and signs of impairment, but he refused multiple requests to get out of the vehicle, and when troopers tried to forcibly remove him, he sped away.
The pursuit last 1.3 miles, with Proctor driving through a driveway and a yard. Police attempted to force him to stop using what’s known as a PIT maneuver, but they were unsuccessful and the patrol unit struck a tree and caught fire. A second PIT maneuver worked, Proctor was taken into custody. Police found a gun, drugs, and drug paraphernalia inside the Jeep.
The trooper was taken to UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh with non-life threatening injuries.
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