PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has made an arrest of James Bailey Jr., 52, of Penn Hills on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police, driving while operating privilege is suspended or revoked, driving without having his headlights on, and driving with an expired emission inspection.
Online court records don’t list an attorney for Bailey, who was arraigned early Monday on five counts of reckless endangerment, drunken driving and other violations stemming from the Sunday night incident.
According to the investigation, Zone 1 Officers returning from the Allegheny County Jail observed Bailey’s black 1996 Toyota 4Runner driving in the opposite direction on Grant Street with the headlights out at approximately 8:53 p.m. Officers attempted to make a traffic stop at the intersection of Grant and the Boulevard of the Allies.
The driver refused to stop and took the I-376 West exit onto the Fort Duquesne Bridge. The vehicle turned onto I-279 North then took the Route 28 exit then the Madison Avenue/East Ohio Street exit. Bailey pulled over at the intersection of Madison Avenue and East Ohio Street. He was taken into custody at approximately 8:57 p.m.
The investigation determined that the four passengers – a 35-year-old woman, a 28-year-old woman and three children ages 6, 4 and 3 months – had hired Bailey as a jitney driver. They say they were pleading with him to stop throughout the pursuit. Officers transported the passengers to their home.
Bailey was taken to Zone 6 for field sobriety testing then to UPMC Mercy for blood testing before being taken to Allegheny County Jail.
Police say they found a beer-filled cooler in the vehicle along with four empty beer cans.
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