A fugitive behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler led Pennsylvania police on a wild chase after they figured out he was a wanted man. Now, officials are expanding their search towards the Philadelphia-area.
Harold August Davis, Jr., was transporting cars on a big rig down Interstate 176 near Morgantown, Berks County, Pa. this morning when state police stopped him for a random truck inspection. That's when they discovered he wanted for robbery in Florida.
Police ordered Davis to leave the truck, but he refused, rolling up his window. State Police say a trooper then broke the driver's side window with his baton as another officer Tasered Davis, which officials said had no effect on the man.
Davis then took off, with a trooper still on the truck, hitting a state police cruiser that was blocking the truck.
Police pursued him on the north side of I-176. They tried to stop Davis by shooting the tires on his tractor-trailer so they'd go flat. Another driver videotaped the wild scene with his phone and emailed it to us.
Davis crashed into a guardrail, bolted from the cab into the woods. The trooper was not hurt.
This afternoon, State Trooper David Boehm said police had spoken to Davis by phone and that he told them he would come out to a major road and surrender. By nightfall, that had not happened and a manhunt continued with police shutting down roads as they continued the search.
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Late Thursday, state police said they no longer believed Davis was in the immediate area. Officials said they would be expanding their search to "investigate any and all leads between Berks County and Philadelphia."
Trooper Boehm said they don't know if Davis is armed, but that he should be considered "armed and dangerous."
