Update: Raymond Stachnick pleaded guilty in July 2015 to resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He was later sentenced to three months in jail, followed by probation. He satisfied his sentence in October 2022, according to online court filings.
Original story:
TAYLOR -- A hit and run turned police chase ended on the edge of a bridge in Lackawanna County. The suspect told police he wanted to take the officers over the bridge with him.
The Taylor police officer we talked to said he was afraid the suspect was going to take him and a Moosic police officer over the edge of a bridge over the Lackawanna River in Scranton.
The struggle happened Sunday after the man allegedly ran into two cars and then led police on a short chase.
Police officers are trained to deal with all kinds of harrowing situations. But, consider these circumstances: you're on the edge of a bridge with traffic rushing by, and the person you're arresting wants to throw you over the edge.
"He shoved us, started kicking us, and attempted to run toward the edge of the bridge. His statement was that he wanted to end it and he wanted to take us with him," said Taylor Police Patrolman Stephen Derenick.
Derenick and a Moosic officer were at the end of that brief crime spree in Taylor on Sunday afternoon. They had just caught up with Raymond Stachnick of Moosic and were in the process of handcuffing him. They were putting him under arrest for allegedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend while the two were driving in Stachnick's truck.
The officers were able to tackle Stachnick on Veterans Memorial Bridge on Davis Street before it came to a very scary end.
"After it was all said and done we realized how close we were to the edge of the bridge. But, luckily everybody walked away without a scratch," Derenick added.
Stachnick's truck was scratched and had parts from other cars still hanging from it.
According to court papers, while Stachnick and his girlfriend were fighting, he hit two cars on Loomis Avenue in Taylor.
"Obviously, when he hit my car and pushed it back about 20, 25 feet I think he must have bounced off the sidewalk and back out on to the road. So, I`m just glad nobody got hurt," said Peter Mandos.
Mandos and his neighbor only had some minor damage to their cars. But, Diane Sheridan made the 911 call that sent police after Stachnick and on to the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
"He could have injured more people. Luckily we weren't in our vehicles but we still have the damage, we still have to get it fixed. But, you know, thank God we weren't hurt and thank God we him off the street and nobody else got hurt," Sheridan said.
Raymond Stachnick was charged with even more serious charges for that attempt to throw the police officers off the bridge. He's charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, simple assault for allegedly attacking his girlfriend, and reckless endangerment.
