The driver in a Tuesday morning crash in State College allegedly first used a gun to threaten the man who was riding with him and then left the scene after the vehicle flipped on its side.
Russell E. Loven, 33, of Bellefonte, is now facing charges of terroristic threats, accidents involving personal injury and unauthorized making repairs/selling or dealing in offensive weapons. Each is a first-degree misdemeanor.
State College Police said it started just before 8 a.m. at the Nittany Budget Inn on Cato Avenue, where Loven told another man he was going to pick up his girlfriend to take her to work and that the man was to come with him. When the man did not immediately comply, Loven allegedly pointed a silver handgun in his direction until the man got into the Mitsubishi SUV that Loven was using.
The man saw Loven put the gun into a black bag, which he then placed in the side panel of the driver’s side door, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday afternoon.
Loven then drove the vehicle, with the other man in the passenger seat, and as they approached the 1700 block of University Drive Extension, the SUV left the road, went up an embankment and landed on its side, police said. The passenger attempted to get out but was pulled back down by Loven, so he kicked at the window and was eventually able to push the door open to exit, according to the complaint.
The man, who later said he had head pain following the crash, started to walk away from the scene to get away from Loven, but as he crested a hill he saw Loven following him and carrying a bag in his hand, police said. He reportedly believed that there was a gun in the bag which Loven would use to harm or further threaten him. He started running and was able to get away.
A witness later identified Loven as the driver and the other man as the passenger and said that Loven was following the man with a white plastic bag in one hand and a black object in the other, according to the complaint. The witness observed Loven look around for something then walk quickly toward Foxdale Village, where police later found a black jacket believed to belong to Loven and an empty white bag in a trash can.
At about 11:55 a.m., Ferguson Township Police stopped a vehicle in which Loven was the passenger and a State College officer was called to the scene. The driver said he was helping Loven move his belongings from the Nittany Budget Inn and consented to a search of the vehicle, according to the complaint. Police said they recovered a small amount of possible marijuana and a switchblade from bags belonging to Loven.
Loven was taken to the State College police station and said he wanted an attorney before police could interview him. A preliminary arraignment was scheduled for 4 p.m. before District Judge Casey McClain.
