SHENANDOAH - State police have obtained an arrest warrant for a 69-year-old borough man shot Monday afternoon by authorities after a high-speed pursuit.
Magisterial District Judge Anthony J. Kilker issued the warrant Wednesday for the arrest of John A. Pino, 309 E. Centre St., Apt. C, who remains in the hospital.
Pino is a patient at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, and will face a formal preliminary arraignment upon his release. He was initially admitted in critical condition Monday but a nursing supervisor said Wednesday that Pino's condition has been upgraded to serious.
In an affidavit of probable cause, Trooper Melissa Kyper of the Frackville station said the incident began about 1:50 p.m. Monday, when Saint Clair police Chief Michael Carey received information that a man in a white Ford Explorer was going to Wal-Mart to commit a theft.
Carey contacted the store and, shortly thereafter, Wal-Mart employees reported that a man fitting the description was inside stealing items, but he fled when security tried to detain him.
Kyper said the man, later identified as Pino, got into his Ford Explorer and drove erratically through the parking lot, then headed north on Route 61.
Carey radioed the information to the Schuylkill County Communications Center and headed to Route 61 from his location in Port Carbon. He was flagged down by a motorist who gave him the license plate number of the SUV, and then Carey broadcast an alert on the vehicle.
Kyper said that, shortly thereafter, Trooper Andrew Letcavage saw a vehicle matching the description traveling north on Interstate 81, near mile marker 130, and turned on his lights to pull over the SUV.
Instead of pulling over, Pino got off at the Hometown exit without signaling and drove east on Route 54 at a high speed, Kyper said. While traveling west, Pino refused to pull over and crossed into the oncoming lane, forcing a westbound motorist to swerve onto the berm of the road.
Pino continued east, again entering the westbound lane and forcing another oncoming driver onto the berm, before turning into the parking lot of Ryan Township Fire Company.
Kyper said Pino left the parking lot and drove west, crossing into the eastbound lane while cresting a hill, forcing Mahanoy City police Chief Mark J. Wiekrykas and Mahanoy Township police Chief Brandon Alexander to swerve onto the westbound berm.
The three officers continued to pursue Pino, who again entered the eastbound lane and almost struck a Frackville police cruiser driven by Patrolman Christopher Hand.
Pino's SUV then struck a tack strip laid down by Trooper Michael Allar and, despite having two flat tires, Pino continued west, driving into the oncoming lane several times. Kyper said Pino tried to pass Allar's police cruiser on the berm of the road and struck the patrol vehicle.
Kyper said Pino then lost control of his SUV just east of Mahanoy City and struck the raised median strip of Route 54. Allar and Hand got out of their vehicles and tried to take Pino into custody, but he put the SUV in reverse and rammed Carey's cruiser.
Kyper said Pino then drove off, nearly striking Allar, and continued west until he turned left onto White Owl Drive, also known as East Mahanoy Avenue, where Allar ran him off the road and the SUV spun and hit an embankment with its back end.
Kyper said police surrounded the SUV but Pino continued to rev the engine in an attempt to free the vehicle.
Carey and Allar got out of their vehicles and ordered Pino to get out of his vehicle. Kyper said Pino ignored the commands and, with officers standing near the SUV, he continued to rev the engine and Carey then fired one shot through the front passenger window.
Despite the shot, Kyper said Pino continued to rev the engine while Letcavage, Trooper Joseph Aponick, Hand and Alexander tried to approach him. Pino refused to get out of the vehicle and continued to try and break free when Carey fired a second shot that hit him.
Kyper said that, despite being shot, Pino still refused to obey orders to get out and had to be forcibly removed from the SUV. He continued resisting arrest and officers used a Taser to subdue him and take him into custody so he could receive medical treatment, Kyper said.
She added that several mobile video recordings were taken of the pursuit that show Pino committed 26 lane violations and five turn signal violations, among others.
Kyper charged Pino with eight felony offenses of aggravated assault; eight misdemeanor offenses each of simple assault and recklessly endangering another person; one misdemeanor count each of resisting arrest and fleeing or attempting to elude police; and two misdemeanor counts of accident involving damage to attended vehicles or property.
Also, Kyper charged Pino with numerous summary offenses including 26 counts of failing to drive on roadways laned for traffic, five of turning movements and required signals, four of careless driving, two each of violation of limitations on driving on the left side of the road, violation of limitations on overtaking on the left, duty to give information and render aid, and one each of violation of duty of driver on approach of emergency vehicle, failure to drive at a safe speed, violation of limitations on backing and reckless driving.
No information was available Wednesday on Carey's duty status in the wake of the shooting.
Pino had been scheduled to be tried in Schuylkill County Court this month on a charge of receiving stolen property. The court continued his case, however, at the request of Assistant Public Defender Christopher W. Hobbs, Pino's lawyer in that case.
Schuylkill Haven borough police charge that in July, Pino possessed copper downspouts that had been stolen from St. John's United Church of Christ, 121 E. Main St., and Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 252 Dock St.
The downspouts had been stolen from St. John's UCC between July 8 and July 13 and from Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran on July 24 or July 25, according to police.
Police said Sorin Recycling Inc., Shenandoah, contacted them to say Pino had brought copper downspouts, and no other metal, to it in exchange for cash.
At least one of the downspouts matched both brackets and a remaining piece of copper at one of the churches, police said.
Police said the value of the stolen copper and the labor needed to replace the downspouts is $2,045.25.