Dangerous High-Speed Parkway East Police Pursuit Reached 115 MPH Speed

PITTSBURGH, PA — A police pursuit on the Parkway East Wednesday night reached speeds as high as 115 mph and resulted in a host of criminal charges against a Pittsburgh man.

According to Pennsylvania State Police, a trooper was driving on the parkway in the left lane when a white Mini Cooper passed him . The driver extended his arm out the window and allegedly flipped off the trooper.

According to police, the driver of the vehicle was traveling at unsafe speeds, weaving in and out of traffic and would not pull over when the trooper turned on his vehicle's emergency flashing lights. The Mini Cooper forced several cars off the road.

Police eventually found the car and driver in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood and arrested the driver.

He was identified as Derek Wassel, 21.

Wassel was charged with reckless driving, disorderly conduct, careless driving and numerous failures to adhere to the state's traffic statutes, including obedience to traffic control devices, driving on roadways laned for traffic, turning movements and required signals and driving at safe speeds.