Berks & Beyond Police looking for wanted truck driver after I-176 chase 11/14/2013 A trucker wanted for robbery in Florida drove more than 3 miles on Interstate 176 this morning with a state trooper clinging to the cab of his truck before crashing and fleeing into the woods, setting off an extensive manhunt. Police identified the man as Harold A. Davis Jr., 56, of Philadelphia. As of 8:40 p.m. he is at large, with dozens of police officers from all around Berks County part of the search. The trooper wasn’t injured and joined in the search, said Trooper David C. Beohm, a state police spokesman. The incident began about 10 a.m. during a routine truck inspection detail headed by Caernarvon Township police on I-176 just north of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Beohm said. The rig was directed into a lane and Davis handed an officer his license. After a check showed he had an outstanding warrant for armed robbery, the Caernarvon officer requested backup while Davis remained in the cab, Beohm said. Two other Caernarvon officers and a trooper responded. The trooper tried to talk to Davis from the ground but Davis refused to roll his window all the way down. Beohm gave this further account: After several unsuccessful attempts to get Davis to come out of the cab, the trooper smashed he driver’s side window with his baton. Two officers fired their Tasers at Davis to try to subdue him, to no effect, and he began to drive off. Caernarvon officers fired shots at the truck’s tires but the rig proceeded north on the interstate with the trooper hanging on from a ledge outside the rig. Beohm described the chase as a low-speed pursuit, lumbering at about 10 mph. A township officer tried to stop the rig by pulling his patrol car in front of it but Davis rammed the car, sending it spinning. The same officer caught up to the rig again and tried to slow it again as the trooper fired shots at the rig’s tires. After about 3 1/2 miles, the rig crashed into a guide rail and stopped about a quarter-mile south of Chestnut Hill Road. Davis jumped out, hopped over the rail and disappeared into a heavily wooded area east of the interstate. Dozens of officers from numerous departments along with troopers from the Reading station and county detectives and deputy sheriffs responded. Police set up a perimeter in the area of Route 10 and I-176, between Alleghenyville and Chestnut Hill roads. K-9 units and a police helicopter assisted in the search. The county and state police SWAT teams also responded, as did the Chester County communications mobile command unit. Davis is described as black with glasses, wearing a brown jacket and a knit cap. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall with brown, dreadlocked hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos on both arms. Initial reports were that he was also wanted on several charges in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia, including robbery, assault and forgery. He is considered armed and dangerous, and officials are urging people in the area to lock their doors. Anyone who sees him should immediately call 9-1-1. Police responded to numerous reported sightings of the suspect. About 2 p.m., tactical officers rushed to the Abraxas Academy juvenile detention center off Route 10 in New Morgan, where a bus driver reported seeing the suspect leave the grounds. A short time later, a purported representative of Davis called authorities and said he wanted to turn himself in but he wasn’t sure of his location. Twin Valley School District went into lockout mode, which means that all staff and students had to stay inside the building, Superintendent Robert Pleis said. All after-school activities were canceled. There were several reported sightings in the area of Weaver’s Orchards along Route 10. Dwayne Musser, orchard manager, said the numerous police officers were searching the grounds and helicopters were circling above. “Business is a little slow, I think people are having trouble getting in,” he said. Contact Steven Henshaw: 610-371-5028 or shenshaw@readingeagle. (Image by: Reading Eagle:) main site latest photos
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 02:35:46 +0000
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