Attempted homicide charges filed in police pursuit, crash
A police pursuit ended in injuries for both the officer and the suspect when the police vehicle was struck by a truck shortly after midnight Thursday. The crash occurred on Derrick Avenue near Barton Mill Road.
Greer
Officer DeWitt
A Uniontown man allegedly injured a police officer while fleeing his second traffic stop in less than two weeks.
Christopher Glen Greer, 31, allegedly injured Uniontown City Police officer D.J. Dewitt when he accelerated into his cruiser just after midnight Thursday.
Both Greer and Dewitt were transported to Uniontown Hospital by Fayette EMS for treatment. They were both released the same day.
State police are investigating the crash. State police Trooper John Krause interviewed Dewitt, who said he saw Greer’s vehicle weaving between lanes on Berkeley Street. Greer allegedly fled a traffic stop, speeding up and making a sharp turn onto the Uniontown Country Club golf course, according to the affidavit of probable cause.
Uniontown police officer Kurtis Defoor spotted the vehicle near the railroad tracks on Cinder Road. Dewitt drove to the area, looking for the vehicle.
“He said he then saw headlights from his right coming straight at him, along with a sound of an engine motor screaming,” Krause wrote.
The vehicle was hit on the passenger side. Police said Dewitt suffered scrapes, bruises, whiplash and a head injury in the crash. He said he was “in considerable pain.”
Defoor witnessed the crash, saying Greer drove his vehicle “right into the side of the police cruiser.”
He said it appeared that the truck “accelerated the whole time, plowing into Dewitt’s patrol vehicle,” according to the affidavit.
Greer allegedly refused to submit to chemical testing at the hospital. An officer who was assigned to stay with him at the hospital said he smelled like marijuana.
Accident reconstruction specialist Trooper Todd Stephenson said his preliminary investigation showed Greer made no attempt to stop before hitting the cruiser. He said the vehicle was pushed about eight feet, according to the affidavit.
Police said the cruiser was significantly damaged. It is valued at $15,000.
He is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated assault by vehicle, criminal mischief, driving under the influence, simple assault, reckless endangerment, fleeing or attempting to elude officers, habitual offenders and several traffic violations.
He was arraigned Thursday afternoon before Magisterial District Judge Michael Metros. He is lodged in Fayette County Prison in lieu of a $150,000 bond.
Greer has allegedly been driving with a suspended license since 2003 when he was charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance. He has been charged dozens of times for driving with a suspended license since then.
He was charged earlier this month for allegedly damaging two city police cruisers while fleeing police April 8. He is facing aggravated assault and other charges in that case.
In 2012, Greer was charged with possession of a contraband item for sneaking a cellphone and charger into Fayette County Prison in his prosthetic leg. He had the phone in prison for more than one year.
He accepted a guilty plea to the lesser charge of disorderly conduct in that case.
Also in 2012, he was charged with three counts of aggravated assault and other charges for allegedly attempting to run over Steven McKnight of Uniontown following a verbal dispute. He was found not guilty at trial.