A man threatened Indiana Township police on Sunday night because he said he was upset that his mother was being hospitalized for mental evaluation, police said.
Douglas C. Biehl, 49, of 129 Eisele Road, is accused of attempted assault with a vehicle, aggravated assault and 14 other charges.
According to police, Biehl objected when police started to take the woman to a hospital for a mental evaluation. The request was made by her husband, who told police that she has dementia and hit him with shoe and scratched his face.
The husband said she no longer is taking dementia medicine and refused to go to her doctor or the hospital.
In an affidavit, police said they took the woman from her home to the township police station where two officers were preparing to take her to Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh.
At that point a tan four-door pickup pulled into the police lot and the driver demanded that police turn the woman over to him.
Police said the township's haunted house was open in town hall and adults and children heard his tirade. Biehl was asked to calm down and leave.
Instead, Biehl attempted to open a rear car door to free the woman.
When police walked toward Biehl to apprehend him, he was heard saying, "I'm getting a gun and taking care of you guys" and then put his truck into reserve and almost hit an officer who was getting his license tag number, police said in the affidavit.
Instead of using a clear path to drive away in forward gear, Biehl allegedly put his pickup into reserve a second time and accelerated toward two officers.
Police said one officer pulled his handgun and the other tried to break the side window to reach Biehl, but the man suddenly put his truck into gear and drove away at a "extremely high rate of speed," threatening the safety of innocent people, police said.
Police said they know Biehl owns numerous firearms and had them in his parents' basement at 129 Eisele Road.
The house was surrounded and Biehl later surrendered to a negotiator, police said.
In addition to multiple counts of attempted assault and aggravated assault, Biehl is charged with disorderly conduct, reckless endangerment, interfering with the custody of a person, resisting arrest, fleeing and attempting to elude police, speeding, careless and reckless driving.
Police said Biehl was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
A preliminary hearing has not been scheduled.
Copyright 2011 - The Valley News-Dispatch, Tarentum, Pa.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
