Bethel Park police release video of 2 officers being hit by vehicles

Bethel Park police released a video Tuesday showing two police officers being hit by vehicles in separate incidents this month.

The incidents happened May 3 on South Park Road near Pennsylvania Avenue and May 13 at Broughton Road and Route 88.

The police department combined the two incidents into one video and released it on the department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Police said both drivers were suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances and were arrested.

This month, two BPPD Officers were hit by vehicles in separate incidents. The video below shows those events. Both drivers were suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances and were arrested. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/3aS5VigFSI

— Bethel Park Police Department (@bethelparkpd) May 17, 2022

In the May 3 incident, the officer was hit by the mirror of a passing vehicle, knocking him into a police car, and the vehicle ran over the officer’s foot. Police said another officer in the area stopped the driver and arrested him.

The suspected driver, identified by police as Richard Caporal, 67, of Bethel Park, was charged with aggravated assault and driving under the influence. According to court records, Caporal has 14 prior convictions for driving under the influence dating back to the 1970s.

The video of the May 13 incident shows a pickup going around vehicles that were stopped for a flagger. As the pickup driver maneuvers around the flagger, an officer runs across the intersection in front of the pickup, which after briefly stopping continues on. The officer was alongside the pickup when he falls to the ground and the pickup runs over his legs and lower torso.

Bethel Park police charged the suspected driver, identified by police as Jack Lawrence Scola, 28, of Upper St. Clair with aggravated assault, driving under the influence and traffic offenses. He was being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $100,000 bail, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 26.

According to Bethel Park police, 11 officers have been hit and killed by vehicles in the line of duty over the past year.

“Fortunately, our officers are recovering, but it is a powerful reminder to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles, and never drive impaired,” the department said on Twitter.