A high-speed police pursuit Monday night ended with the driver dead after he crashed into a motorcycle shop in Big Run, Jefferson County, state police say.
The crash caused massive structural damage to the building of Best Kawasaki Motorcycles.
Around 10:30 p.m., Punxsutawney police say they attempted to pull over a red Dodge Caliber when it refused to stop.
They say it went on U.S. 119 into Big Run.
It was there on West Main Street they say it crashed into Best Kawasaki Motorcycle shop.
State police say the driver, 53-year-old Robert George of Big Run, was driving.
They say he was pronounced dead by the coroner.
The owner of Kawasaki, Jeffrey Coons, says he and his son were inside the shop when the car burst in. Coons says George wasn’t wearing his seatbelt.
Coons also says he grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out a fire started by the crash, adding that it could have burnt down the whole building had he not put it out.
Punxsutawney police said in a press release that they tried to conduct a traffic stop driving north on State Route 119.
The driver increased their speed after police signaled them to pull over.
A high-speed chase ensued for five minutes — ending with the car crash.
During the chase, Punxsutawney police say the driver hit speeds almost as high as 85 miles per hour.
The speed limit on the road in front of Kawasaki is 35 mph, while it’s 20 mph on the road curve.
Punxsutawney police say during the chase, George committed “multiple traffic violations to include a felony of the 3rd degree.”
This investigation is ongoing.
