Penn Hills man Tased, arrested after fighting with officer

A Penn Hills man was Tased by police on Aug. 2 after he attempted to change vehicles and fight an officer after being pulled over on Saltsburg Road.

Police initiated a traffic stop just before 7 p.m. on Mark A. Turner, 49, of Stotler Road, who they said was driving a Chevrolet with expired registration and canceled car insurance.

After pulling over near the intersection of Saltsburg Road and Aster Street, police said Turner immediately got out of the car and attempted to get into the passenger side of a second vehicle he owned, a black tractor-trailer truck. Police ordered Turner back into his car, at which point he began cursing and challenging them to arrest him, according to court documents.

“As I attempted to remove Turner from his vehicle, he took a fighting posture, as he raised his fists in front of his face,” Officer Ryan Kingerski wrote in a criminal complaint. “A physical altercation ensued inside the vehicle, at which point Turner struck my head with his elbow, kicked me in the chest and attempted to push me off of him with both hands.”

Kingerski said he then backed up, since the two were not on level ground, at which point Turner dipped his shoulder and reached toward the floorboard of the tractor-trailer.

“I was unable to observe what Turner was reaching for at this time,” Kingerski wrote. After giving several verbal commands for Turner to stop or be Tased, Kingerski deployed his Taser and Turner was taken into custody.

He was arraigned the morning of Aug. 3 on charges of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, obstructing law enforcement, evading arrest and multiple traffic violations.

An Aug. 21 preliminary hearing will take place in District Judge Anthony DeLuca’s Penn Hills court.