A Pittsburgh man suspected of possessing a stolen vehicle was arrested after crashing into a police cruiser New Year’s Eve and being involved in vehicle pursuits by Morgantown Police officers and Monongalia County Sheriff’s deputies.
On Friday, officers from the Morgantown Police Department were dispatched to investigate an allegedly stolen blue Kia Forte that a caller said was parked at the Sheetz at 1012 University Ave. in Morgantown, a criminal complaint said.
Officers were told by dispatch the Forte should be driven by Brandon Lee Angelo, 28, of Buena Vista, Pa., who was described as a white male with blonde hair and a tattoo on his face.
Upon arriving in the Sheetz parking lot, Officer M.K. Brun, who filed the complaint, said they observed a blue Kia Forte parked by the front entrance on the far right side of the lot.
Brun said it was unclear if the Forte was occupied, so the officer parked their patrol vehicle at a slant behind the car so it could not leave without striking the cruiser.
After running the license plate, Brun said the vehicle “backed straight up colliding with the rear passenger side of my patrol vehicle.” The officer said they were able to observe a white male with blonde hair and a facial tattoo driving the vehicle.
After colliding with the police vehicle, the driver sped off toward Kirk Street. According to the complaint, Officer Patterson, who was also on scene, was able to get behind the suspect as he pulled out of the Sheetz parking lot onto Kirk Street and activated his emergency lights and sirens.
The complaint said the Forte continued to increase speed as it headed toward Spruce Street with officers Brun, Patterson, and a third officer following behind with emergency lights and sirens.
Brun said the vehicle “continued to speed up above 60 miles per hour and drive in the opposite lane of traffic, almost striking several vehicles head on.” The posted speed limit on the road is 25 miles per hour.
According to Morgantown Communications Director Andrew Stacy, Morgantown officers followed the vehicle from the initial location at Sheetz through the South Park and Sabraton area to the Arby’s on Earl Core Road where Monongalia County Sheriff’s Deputies took over the pursuit, which was soon stopped for safety reasons.
The stolen vehicle eventually crashed into a creek off Brookhaven Road near the intersection of Friend Drive where the driver was seen exiting the vehicle and running toward Miller Street, Stacy said.
Sheriff’s deputies were able to find and take the driver into custody, who they positively identified as Brandon Angelo.
The Kia Forte he was driving came back as a positive hit for the stolen vehicle. Upon investigation, officers found Angelo also had a positive active warrant for failing to appear.
Angelo was taken into custody and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and fleeing in a vehicle with reckless disregard. He is scheduled to appear in Monongalia County Magistrate Court on January 11. He is currently being held at the North Central Regional Jail on a $25,000 bond.
There was minimal damage done to the Morgantown Police Department cruiser Angelo backed into, Stacy said.
