A man Bellevue police say passed out three times behind the wheel at a McDonald’s drive-thru, then rammed a patrol cruiser and nearly ran down an officer, remains at large a month after the incident touched off a chase down Ohio River Boulevard into Pittsburgh. Investigators have identified him as Caidyn Smith, and police have now issued a warrant for his arrest.
According to WTAE, the July 5 episode began when McDonald’s employees called 911 after a driver came through the Bellevue drive-thru line three separate times, passing out behind the wheel each time. Responding officers said Smith smelled like marijuana and refused to give his name when they questioned him.
Police Say He Rammed a Cruiser Before Fleeing
Rather than comply, police say Smith put his vehicle into reverse, striking a patrol cruiser and nearly hitting an officer in the process, according to the outlet’s report. He then led officers on a chase down Ohio River Boulevard into Pittsburgh before they lost sight of him; when investigators caught up to the vehicle, they found the rental car he had been driving abandoned and empty.
The case went unsolved for more than a week until July 16, when a Robinson police officer recognized Smith from body-camera images tied to the Bellevue incident, per the same report. That identification led Bellevue police to issue the arrest warrant, though as of the report, Smith had not been taken into custody.
A Small Department Covering a Busy Commuter Route
Bellevue Borough sits along the Ohio River Boulevard corridor in Allegheny County, with its municipal offices based at Borough Hall on Bayne Avenue, according to Bellevue Borough. The department that responded to the McDonald’s call is a modest one: the Bellevue Borough Police Department employs three sergeants and 10 sworn patrol officers under its chief, a roster typical of the small suburban forces patrolling the corridor into Pittsburgh…