PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh
Steelers rookie defensive lineman was arrested early Sunday on charges
of leading police on a chase while driving drunk, crashing into parked cars and injuring a woman,
authorities said.
Alameda Ta'amu, 22, of Kent, Wash.,
was driving a sport utility vehicle the wrong way on Pittsburgh's South
Side at about 2:30 a.m., police said. The 6-foot-3, 348-pound Ta'amu
fled officers and crashed into four parked cars, injuring a woman, then tried to escape on foot before he was restrained by four officers and arrested, police said.
Charges against him include felony
fleeing police, aggravated assault and aggravated assault by vehicle, as
well as misdemeanor accident causing damage, resisting arrest, escape
and DUI charges, along with summary counts, according to court records.
"We are disappointed to hear about the
situation regarding Alameda Ta'amu," Steelers General Manager Kevin
Colbert said in a statement. "We will gather more facts before providing
any further comment."
According to the criminal complaint,
an off-duty detective called police to say the SUV was swerving across
double yellow lines and passing several vehicles at a time, running red
lights and speeding in an area that had many pedestrians. Several police
officers ordered the driver to stop but he refused, causing them to
dive out of the way to avoid being run over, authorities alleged.
The SUV then crashed into a parked
vehicle, injuring the driver, who was treated at UPMC Mercy and later
released, police said. After crashing into several other cars, the
vehicle was disabled, and Ta'amu then fled on foot, taking off his shirt
in what authorities say was an attempt to evade the pursuing officers.
Finally, the officers caught up to him
in a parking lot and ordered him to the ground, but he resisted being
handcuffed and appeared to be reaching toward his waistband, which the
officers feared was an attempt to draw a weapon, so one officer punched
him twice, police said. Ta'amu was then handcuffed and transported in a
police wagon "due to (his) extremely large size," authorities said.
Police said in the criminal complaint
that the defendant's breath smelled of alcohol and a breath test
indicated a blood-alcohol content of .196 percent, more than twice the
legal limit of .08 percent.
Ta'amu was drafted in the fourth round out of Washington. He has yet to play this season.
Check out a picture of some of the post-crash carnage below.
Photo via Twitter/@jrc5053