BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Allison Mickel was just getting ready for bed at her home in the area of 11th and West Market streets late Monday when a familiar sound caught her attention.
“What we heard was the screeching of a car as if it were skidding at a really high speed, and then we saw the flashing of police lights,” Mickel said.
"We heard the crash. A lot of property was damaged. It was really scary. People have kids here.”Resident Allison Mickel
“And then we heard the crash. A lot of property was damaged. It was really scary. People have kids here.”
What Mickel heard was the tail end of a state police pursuit that came to a dramatic conclusion at 11:56 p.m., with one car on the street engulfed in flames, officials said.
“Within 10 seconds, we saw two police cars already pulled over at the crash site,” Mickel said Tuesday morning.
She said she still was baffled why a police chase spilled into a populated residential neighborhood, on roads with posted 25 mph speed limits.
Police: Driver fled traffic stop
State police troopers say the chase began when they tried to make a traffic stop on a 2010 Subaru Legacy near Central Boulevard and West Market Street for vehicle code violations, according to a release.
After police activated the lights and sirens of a marked patrol vehicle, the Subaru failed to yield and a pursuit ensued east on West Market Street for about five blocks, the release said.
The Subaru crashed into numerous parked vehicles and was disabled in the roadway.
Both the driver and passenger fled on foot and the driver later was apprehended, while the passenger has yet to be located, the release said.
"The driver was identified as Devon J. Legrand of Allentown. He was transported from the scene to St. Luke’s University Hospital-Fountain Hill for his injuries."State police release
The driver was identified as Devon J. Legrand of Allentown. He was transported from the scene to St. Luke’s University Hospital-Fountain Hill for his injuries.
On Tuesday, Legrand was charged with two felonies — flight to avoid arrest and fleeing or attempting to elude an officer.
He also faces two misdemeanor and a dozen summary offenses connected to the incident.
Legrand was arraigned from his hospital bed and bail was set at $15,000. He was remanded to the custody of Lehigh County Sheriff’s Department pending release from the hospital.
He then will be arraigned on other outstanding felony warrants.
Court records show he has a lengthy criminal history.
'Constantly digging people out of the corner here'
Mickel said that immediately after the crash, police told residents to lock their doors.
“But people were out watching the cleanup and standing outside kind of observing all this,” she said.
“There was definitely a little bit of a disjuncture about ‘lock your doors’ versus if this person is actually dangerous you don’t want people just walking around.”
“The number of crashes we’ve responded to, especially when it’s icy, we’re constantly digging people out of the corner here. And there was a motorcyclist who died not too long ago. But this was just super shocking. Super unsafe.”Resident Allison Mickel
Mickel said the one thing that stuck out to her, about eight hours after the incident, was just how often there have been crashes in the area.
“The number of crashes we’ve responded to, especially when it’s icy, we’re constantly digging people out of the corner here," she said. "And there was a motorcyclist who died not too long ago.
“But this was just super shocking. Super unsafe.”
