A fugitive accused of assaulting a state trooper was arrested Thursday after he locked his keys in his car, authorities said.
Byron Williams, 26, of Pittsburgh, had been at large since the assault and was considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators found Williams Thursday outside his home in Pittsburgh's Windgap neighborhood. According to a criminal complaint, police saw him walk outside to clean snow off his car.
Police said they watched as Williams locked his keys in his car. As he struggled to get the door open, officers walked up and put him in handcuffs.
Williams was wanted in connection with an incident on Jan. 8. Police said a trooper stopped a car on Route 28 for a lane-changing violation and became concerned when a passenger twice gave a false name and birth date.
The man, later identified as Williams, got out of the car, rushed the trooper and wrestled with him before running into some nearby woods in Frazer Township, police said.
"He got aggressive. He told the trooper, 'No,' gave some expletives to the trooper and ended up bum-rushing the trooper, slamming him to the guardrail off camera. They wrestled along (Route) 28 and you hear him say, 'By the way, I have a gun,'" said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Anthony Vaccaro, who was involved in the incident on Route 28.
Two weeks before that incident, Williams was accused in December of pulling a similar stunt with Pittsburgh police officers.
"He also had (an) aggravated assault on an officer two weeks prior to this incident. In a similar situation, he ended up getting into a wrestling match with a Pittsburgh officer, getting away from him. He had a gun as well," Vaccaro said.
During Thursday's arrest, police said Williams was in possession of two bundles of heroin. Police said they believe that Williams had drugs on him with the intent to sell. In addition to drug charges, he will likely face assault charges for the two previous incidents.
Williams remained in the Allegheny County Jail on Friday. He is scheduled to appear in court next week.
About the Author