Driver to stand trial in crash on Thanksgiving that killed 3
A district judge Friday ordered to trial on homicide charges the 23-year-old driver involved in a Thanksgiving Day police pursuit that killed a family of three.
Demetrius Coleman of Homewood faces three counts of thirddegree murder after authorities say he crashed into a car on Route 30 in North Versailles, killing Pitcairn residents David Lee Bianco, 29, his fiancee, Kaylie Meininger, 21, and their 2-yearold daughter, Annika.
During a preliminary hearing in City Court, multiple police officers testified that Coleman weaved across all four lanes of Route 30 during the brief pursuit, at times crossing into oncoming traffic and forcing vehicles off the road.
The pursuit stretched about two miles and lasted around 90 seconds, said North Versailles police officer Norman Locke, one of the officers who pursued Coleman.
The SUV Coleman was driving sped through multiple red lights, officers testified, before it crossed Route 48 and T-boned the family of three’s car. The SUV was traveling more than 82 mph when it hit the car, said Cpl. John Weaver, a traffic crash expert with the Pennsylvania State Police.
The impact pushed the family’s car sideways at between 42 and 48 mph, he said.
Officer Locke said he had a partial view of the crash and testified that he saw the SUV spinning a split second before a fireball erupted.
“It was very chaotic,” he said of the scene when he arrived. “There was a vehicle completely engulfed in flames.”
Investigators also revealed Friday that Coleman tested positive for marijuana after the crash.
Additionally, Coleman’s public defender, Aaron Sontz, established that there is no police car dashboard camera footage of the pursuit.
Officers testified that their cars were equipped with cameras, but the cameras were either broken or not recording because of full memories.
Bart Beier, an attorney who filed a civil suit in December on behalf of Mr. Bianco’s mother that seeks to hold Coleman and the police officers involved liable for the family’s death, attended Friday’s hearing and said he was surprised to hear there was no footage.
“It’s kind of odd, if you have that equipment, that nobody is using it or knows how to work it,” he said.
About a dozen friends and family members of the victims attended the hearing. Some wept throughout. They declined to talk with reporters.
An East McKeesport officer initially stopped Coleman for making an illegal turn about 2 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. When the officer ran Coleman’s information, he found the man was wanted on an outstanding drug warrant and called North Versailles officers for backup.
As other officers began to arrive, Coleman took off, reaching speeds estimated at 100 mph prior to the crash. In addition to the fatalities, several people were injured.