Erie police charge teen driver with attempted homicide in shooting, pursuit

Erie police are searching an impounded vehicle for evidence including a gun following a reported shooting on the city's west side on Monday night that led to a pursuit and the arrest of the suspected driver.

No one was reported injured in the shooting, which happened in the area of West 18th and Chestnut streets shortly after 9 p.m. Monday.

A 19-year-old man, whom police accuse of driving the vehicle involved in the shooting, is facing charges including attempted homicide and aggravated assault, according to Erie police. He had not been arraigned on the charges as of Tuesday morning.

A second suspect, who is not yet identified, ran off after police stopped the vehicle in the area of West 10th and Cascade streets. The suspect remained at large Tuesday morning.

Erie police were initially sent to the area of West 18th and Chestnut streets on Monday at 9:02 p.m. to investigate a report of multiple gunshots fired, Deputy Chief Rick Lorah said Tuesday. As officers were heading to the location, the person who reported being shot at said the suspect vehicle, a gray four-door Dodge, was last seen heading north from the area, Lorah said.

Officers spotted the vehicle at West 12th and Liberty streets and saw that a passenger in it was wearing a mask and a hood over the passenger's head, according to Lorah. Police pulled behind the Dodge, which took off and led officers on a pursuit, he said.

The passenger in the Dodge exited the vehicle and ran off in the area of West 10th and Cascade streets. Officers removed the driver from the Dodge and spotted a pistol and shell casings in plain view inside the vehicle, Lorah said.

The driver was taken into custody. Police impounded the Dodge and will serve a search warrant on it for evidence, Lorah said.

The man who was shot at told officers he was going to his brother's house when he noticed a vehicle that seemed out of place stopped near the residence, so he drove by his brother's house. The man said the suspicious vehicle then began following him and rammed his vehicle before someone started shooting at him, according to Lorah.

The man was not injured and police found no evidence indicating that the man's car was struck by bullets, according to police.

Contact Tim Hahn at thahn@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNhahn.