Area man charged following escaping from Donora police
DONORA – A Donora man wanted on warrants escaped from borough police twice Saturday, allegedly leading an officer on foot chases, including one in which the officer and the suspect tumbled down a flight of stairs.
District Judge Mark Wilson sent the suspect, Kenneth Lamar Clark Jr., to Washington County jail on $100,000 bond after police apprehended him in the second chase and shackled him in a holding cell to prevent another escape, court records show.
Police recognized Clark, 21, of 135 Apartment A Kenric Ave., about noon while he was driving a vehicle that an officer eventually stopped in the 500 block of Thompson Avenue. Officer Joshua Haines chased Clark after he ran from the traffic stop to a nearby gate, where Haines deployed a Taser, striking Clark in the chest, to stop him from climbing over the gate.
Police then handcuffed Clark to the gate. The borough fire department was summoned to help police get Clark out of the nearly inaccessible place where he has handcuffed, the affidavit indicates.
The suspect got away from police a second time as he was being taken out of a cruiser at the police station at 601 Meldon Ave., the record shows.
Police said Clark, who was handcuffed at that point with his hands behind his back, dashed off when a police officer was pulling up the suspect’s pants.
Haines gave chase and met up with Clark where he was hiding in the doorway to an apartment building.
Clark allegedly began struggling with Haines, causing them both to tumble down wooden stairs leading from McKean Avenue to Cypress Way.
Haines ripped his pants, scuffed his duty weapon and suffered a large wound to his left knee in the fall, the affidavit states.
Clark was wanted on a Washington County Court bench warrant on a simple assault charge filed by borough police in June 2016. He also was wanted in Allegheny County on charges of making terroristic threats and harassment filed in a district court that same month by Brentwood police, court records indicate.
In the Donora incident Saturday, borough police charged him with escape, flight, resisting arrest, aggravated assault, simple assault, assault by a prisoner, theft of handcuffs and criminal mischief.