Fridge And Other Odd Items Thrown At Police During Tractor Trailer Chase

A tractor-trailer chase across western Pennsylvania had police dodging items, including a fridge, to catch a disturbed man traveling on Route 70 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

According to the Associated Press, Christopher Charles Boyer, a 47-year-old tractor trailer driver from Mifflintown, called emergency dispatchers on Saturday morning sometime before 2 a.m. Boyer claimed he was going to wreck his truck.

Pennsylvania state police tried to stop Boyer and his tractor trailer in Washington Township, but Boyer failed to stop. The 34-mile car chase began along Route 70 and quickly escalated into a dangerous challenge for police offers when the driver began to throw different items at them while he kept driving.

“During the pursuit, the driver threw numerous items at pursuing troopers from the cab,” police said.

A Greensburg state police car was hit with a steel canister, which disabled the car. Boyer threw a mini-fridge at the officers during the police chase as well.

In order to stop the tractor trailer, authorities turned to spike strips to stop the large vehicle shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday. However, Boyer hadn’t had enough trouble just yet.

When police ordered the driver to get out of his tractor trailer, Boyer refused to do so. The police took matters into their hands and used a stun gun to subdue the driver.

“It should be noted that during the pursuit the operator threw his shoes and socks at troopers. When the windows were broken to make entry into the cab, the operator’s feet were cut during his resistance to arrest.”

The driver had to be taken to the hospital. Police suspected that Boyer was under the influence of a controlled substance, perhaps Xanax, and for the injuries he sustained when he cut his feet during his arrest. He was treated for his injuries to his feet and tested for drugs.

Boyer faces several charges for fleeing from the police in his tractor trailer. The charges include: aggravated assault, reckless endangering, fleeing or attempting to elude, resisting arrest, and a slew of other counts. He is being held on $100,000 bail and a preliminary hearing is set for February 23, 2015, before District Judge Charles Christner, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

The driver had no passengers with him at the time of the car chase. The tractor trailer is usually used for hauling sand used in the fracking, or hydraulic fracturing drilling, business. Boyer’s employer remains unidentified.

According to court documents, Christopher Boyer requested a public defender to represent him in court for the alleged tractor trailer chase and endangering the lives of police officers by throwing a fridge, shoes, and other items at them.

[Images via Matt Cardy/Getty Images and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]