PITTSBURGH, PA – (News release / Pittsburgh Police) — At approximately 10:48 a.m. a Motorcycle Officer was on patrol on E Carson Street in the South Side. The Officer noticed a dump truck traveling toward him, in his lane of traffic, at a high rate of speed.
The truck narrowly missed the Officer and drove around several vehicles stopped at a red light near S 22nd Street. After the truck ran through the red light, the Officer activated his lights and attempted to stop the vehicle.
The driver – later identified as Thomas Richard Ross, 48, of New Waterford, Ohio – went through approximately eight or nine red lights. He continued to ignore the Officer’s orders and turned onto S 33rd Street. H
e stopped at the gates of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Building, located at 3311 E Carson Street. Other Officers arrived on scene and attempted to call Ross out of the vehicle.
Ross was acting erratically, claiming to have a bomb. When Ross acted as if he was going to surrender, he floored on the gas and rammed the gates of the FBI.
Officers quickly took Ross into custody. The entire incident lasted approximately 3 minutes. Ross was transported to UPMC Presbyterian with minor injuries. After he was cleared from the hospital later in the afternoon, he attempted to escape while being escorted to a cruiser by Officers.
He is now at the Allegheny County Jail. No civilians or Officers were injured in this incident.
Pittsburgh EOD responded to the scene after Ross indicated there was a bomb. No indications of explosives were found in the truck.
#Pittsburgh @FBI building crash: images from Sky 4 – man in dump truck rams the main gate. @BreakingNews @ABC @CNN pic.twitter.com/rHpH1SSBDr
— WTAE-TV Pittsburgh (@WTAE) July 26, 2016
Locally, Ross faces numerous charges including aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, fleeing and eluding, and various summary driving offenses.
The Pittsburgh Police are working in cooperation with the FBI on this investigation.
