Monroeville officer shot: What we know about the suspect, his criminal past
The man charged for shooting a Monroeville Police officer during a chase that spanned parts of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties late Friday night shouldn’t have had a gun to begin with.
According to court documents, Bruce Alvarado is a convicted felon on multiple charges, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
RELATED COVERAGE >> Man charged in chase where Monroeville police officer was shot
Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek also learned this wasn’t the first time Alvarado was involved in a police chase where officers say he intended to hurt them.
In February 2022, an officer in McKees Rocks noticed a car with front and rear damage. When he ran the plates, he learned they were stolen from a different car.
The description of this car was the same as one involved in an incident days prior in Turtle Creek, where police say a man hit and dragged an officer and hit multiple vehicles while speeding away from a traffic stop.
The officer attempted to pull the driver, identified as Bruce Alvarado, over. Alvarado then put the car in reverse and sped off, nearly hitting that officer’s cruiser.
The officer chased Alvarado down the McKees Rocks Bridge. Police say he hit a utility pole, nearly hit another officer, and then took off yet again, nearly hitting the police captain head-on.
They say because of snow on the roads, Alvarado lost control of his car and flipped it two or three times across the train tracks.
Alvarado attempted to get out of the car and run but fell. Police tried to get him cuffed, but he resisted. That’s when court documents say they struck Alvarado multiple times and pried his arms from under his body.
Alvarado was arrested and held without bond. Police said he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Alvarado was set to go to trial for this incident on Oct. 23, 2023. Havranek called the judge’s office. They said Alvarado never showed up.
On that same day, Alvarado was charged with theft and carrying a firearm without a license, among other charges.
The Monroeville officer who was shot and injured in this incident on Friday is out of the hospital and is at home recovering
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