Watch Pa. State Police End Chase with Stolen Cruiser

Two men have been charged after leading troopers on a chase around Cumberland County, after police say they stole a state police cruiser on Thursday afternoon.

State police said the incident began when a trooper stopped a vehicle around 11:34 a.m. on Interstate 81 South near mile marker 561 in Silver Spring Township.

The trooper made contact with the driver, 30-year-old Hanif Malik Hall, and passenger 31-year-old Malik Lamar Clover, both from Harrisburg, according to PSP Public Information Officer Megan Frazer.

During the stop, both attempted to run away, eventually running from their vehicle to the marked PSP cruiser, Frazer said.

Troopers nearby began chasing the vehicle, which drove onto Harrisburg Pike, according to Frazer. Clover jumped out of the vehicle and ran to a nearby hotel, where he was later found and arrested.

After Clover ran away, Hall continued to drive the stolen state police cruiser until it became disabled and he too ran out of the vehicle, Frazer said.

Hall was found and arrested around 2:30 p.m., following a manhunt of the surrounding area.

Frazer said there were no injuries reported in the incident.

Brady Bixler, who works in the area, happened to be driving on Carlisle Pike at the time and captured the end of the pursuit on video when cop cars started swarming around him just after noon.

He said he saw the first white state police cruiser, which was “all smashed up” driving in his direction from 81. Bixler said the cruiser came toward him, then went behind him, and then did a U-turn to go past him.

It was then that Bixler noticed a swarm of cop cars coming, trying to stop the beat-up cruiser. He said it was clear they were trying to stop the damaged cruiser from going anywhere.

Other cars in the area scattered while this happened around Bixler, and debris from the police vehicles was going everywhere.

Bixler said his first thought was that the cop car had just crashed, and he wanted to stop and help. When he saw the rest of the cop cars, he realized the situation was more than just a crash.

“It was definitely a shock and a sight to see,” Bixler said. He had already been recording but stopped right before the stolen cruiser stopped and the driver took off on foot.

He said he remembered the man going behind a building to his right, where there are a bunch of fields with high grass.

During the chase, the cop cars were all around him, and he didn’t think he could get himself out of the situation. He said he tried his best to not interfere, then got out of everyone’s way as soon as he could.

For Bixler, he never thought he’s see something like the chase in his lifetime. “If I didn’t have any video proof, nobody would believe me,” he said.

The owner of the Econolodge in the 1200 bock of Harrisburg Pike, Mohan Zaver, told PennLive that the motel’s video system showed one of the suspects, Clover, running on the grounds from the direction of the Pike.

Clover went through a breezeway and into a laundry room around noon, and that’s where police eventually found him. Police from several Cumberland County municipalities and the county Sheriff’s department.

Both men are facing multiple charges, including robbery of a motor vehicle, fleeing and eluding and illegal firearms possession, Frazer said. Details of the charges and bail for both men were not available early Thursday evening.

______

Visit pennlive.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.