Penn Hills Police Chase Suspect Walks Out Of Hospital
PENN HILLS, Pa. (KDKA) - Police are asking for your help in the search of a man who was taken to the hospital after being involved in a high-speed chase.
They say Mark Clements III was being treated for his wounds when he got up and walked out of UPMC Mercy.
Doctors told the Penn Hills Police Department that Clements was going to be recovering from his injuries for a few days. The department says his traffic crimes didn't warrant posting a guard outside of his door for around-the-clock watch.
Police are on the search for Mark Clements III Tuesday night after he led police through a high-speed chase in Penn Hills over the weekend.
"The vehicle this individual was driving fit the description of a possible vehicle that was involved in a shooting," Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton says.
The chief says when police tried to pull over the white Ford SUV on Frankstown Road and Robinson Boulevard, it sped off, running stop signs and hitting 90 in a 35. Not long after, the car flipped and Clements sustained back injuries.
"Once we were at the hospital, the doctors x-rayed him I believe and determined he was not fit for incarceration, and they were going to keep him at the hospital for two to three days," said Burton.
Burton says even though Clements sped away from officers, he wasn't considered a flight risk in the hospital until hospital staff at UPMC Mercy noticed he disappeared from his hospital bed.
"It wasn't like he was arrested or under guard or anything like that. He was a patient at a hospital, and he walked away from the hospital," Burton said.
Burton says the lack of attention is also a budgeting issue.
"I'd be paying an officer overtime to be there 24/7. So it's not just a question of money, but a question of manpower," he said.
Burton says his department planned to come back with an arrest warrant once Clements was set to be released. But now they're on the lookout.
Burton says they've already checked on Clements' known locations but no luck finding him so far. Based on what the hospital told him, he believes Clements will need a doctor soon and that's how they hope to get lucky with an arrest for a slew of charges.