Marcos Baldeo

CRANBERRY TWP — A suspected drunken driver is accused of leading police on a short chase that didn't end well for the New York man.

Cranberry Township police said they had to force Marcos I. Baldeo, 24, of Bay Shore from his car and onto the ground following his arrest early Friday morning.

District Judge Dave Kovach later arraigned Baldeo on a felony charge of fleeing or attempting to elude police, misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, and three traffic violations. He is free on $10,000 unsecured bail.

Officers initially found the defendant about 2:20 a.m. passed out and slumped over in the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Sonic that was stopped at Freedom Road and Route 19, according to court documents.

The door was locked and police could not rouse him, even after knocking loudly on the window. In time, he awakened but shook his head “no” when officers told him to open the door.

When Baldeo began to drive away, Patrolman John Dolan ran to his cruiser and activated his siren, documents said, and began pursuing the suspect's car.

The defendant turned northbound onto Route 19 and ran a red light. For a time, police said, he was traveling north in the southbound lane.

With police still giving chase, Baldeo made several turns — west onto Short Street, north onto Nicklas Drive, east onto Cranberry Square Drive and south onto Route 19.

He eventually traveled off the road and stopped.

The defendant smelled of alcohol and showed signs of intoxication. He was arrested after failing field sobriety tests and was taken to UPMC Passavant Cranberry for a blood test.

Toxicology results showed his blood-alcohol level was 0.147 percent. A level of 0.08 percent is considered intoxicated under state law.