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Pa. trooper shoots motorist during traffic stop in Allentown

Bethlehem State Police, Troop M, Martin Tower, Bethlehem, Public Library, Bethlehem Police Department, City Hall, Bethlehem, Northampton County
Donna S. Fisher
/
For LehighValleyNews.com
The Pennsylvania State Police barracks off Airport Road in Bethlehem in February 2023. A trooper fired two rounds, wounding a motorist during a traffic stop in Allentown, state police said.

UPDATE: Driver in trooper-involved shooting charged with multiple felonies; state police now say he wasn't hit by gunfire

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania State Police trooper shot and wounded a motorist during a traffic stop in the city Friday.

It happened around 5:40 p.m. near South Third and West Union streets, according to state police.

  • A Pennsylvania State Police trooper fired two rounds during a traffic stop in Allentown
  • The motorist was struck and taken by ambulance to St. Luke's University Hospital
  • State police, Allentown police and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office are investigating

The motorist fled in the car after being shot and drove onto South Carlisle Street, striking several vehicles and coming to a stop in the 500 block, state police said.

The driver was taken by ambulance to St. Luke's University Hospital in Fountain Hill for treatment of unspecified injuries.

A motorist who was struck by the offending vehicle was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries, according to state police.

The circumstances that led to the shooting were not released in a statement by state police public information officer Trooper Nathan Branosky.

The involved trooper fired two rounds from his handgun, according to state police. Police stopped the vehicle after a traffic violation and as city police and troopers "were jointly conducting high visibility proactive traffic enforcement throughout the city," the statement said.

The Pennsylvania State Police Troop M Major Case Team is investigating.

Assisting are Allentown police, the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office, the Troop M Forensic Services Unit and Troop M Collision Analysis Reconstruction Unit.