Crash during high-speed chase kills W.Pa. officer
PERRYOPOLIS (AP) – A police officer is dead after his cruiser slammed into a turning vehicle during a high-speed chase on a rural Western Pennsylvania highway.
Police say part-time Perryopolis officer Richard Champion hit shop owner Andy Bohatch’s sport utility vehicle around 1:15 p.m. Sunday in Perryopolis despite swerving to avoid it.
Witnesses say the 35-year-old Champion appeared trapped as the cruiser burst into flames.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. He’s survived by his wife and 16-month-old son.
Police say Bohatch was hit as he turned across Route 51’s southbound lanes toward the parking lot of his Big Barn Country Store. He’s listed in critical condition at UPMC Presbyterian.
Police say Champion, an Army Reservist, served on the Perryopolis force for eight months.
Perryopolis is about 30 miles south of Pittsburgh.