Detroit man nabbed after fleeing from police
A Detroit man did not want to be arrested.
The reluctant arrestee allegedly led state police on a brief vehicle pursuit in Butler that turned into a foot chase early Wednesday.
A police Taser momentarily slowed him, but did not stop him. He finally was nabbed, but not before police say he jumped out of a second-story window.
The suspect, 36-year-old Bernard Bush, admitted that he had recently smoked marijuana, state police said. Troopers also found a crack pipe on the driver's side floor of his car.
District Judge Sue Haggerty arraigned Bush on two felony counts of fleeing or attempting to elude police and two misdemeanor counts each of reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. He also is charged with driving under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of dug paraphernalia.
Additionally, he is charged with 13 traffic violations. He is in the Butler County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bond.
The incident began around 1:30 a.m. when patrol troopers spotted a Kia Forte pulling out of a store parking lot on West Jefferson Street without signaling, police said.
When officers tried to make a traffic stop on North Chestnut Street, the driver sped up. He allegedly ran several stop signs before crossing the center line on West New Castle Street near Broad Street.
The car ended on the east side of the road on the sidewalk. The driver allegedly got out and ran. Police said passengers in the vehicle identified Bush as the driver.
The suspect jumped over a fence in back of the Family Video store, according to charging documents. A chasing trooper ordered Bush to stop, but to no avail.
The trooper deployed his Taser, striking the defendant and causing him to fall to the ground.
“Bush began to roll around on the ground to dislodge the prongs from the (Taser),” documents said. The maneuver apparently worked, and he allegedly began running away again, this time on West Cunningham Street.
He eluded capture for a while, but Butler police officers found him around 2:20 a.m. at a home on the 100 block of North Chestnut Street.
“Bush jumped out a second-story window in an attempt to flee,” documents said, “but was taken into custody.”
Police subsequently took him to Butler Memorial Hospital for a blood draw. Lab results are pending.
