North Huntingdon cop hurt in aftermath of undercover drug sting

A North Huntingdon police officer was hurt Tuesday night when a man who authorities said accompanied a suspected drug dealer to an undercover buy hit an unmarked police vehicle as he fled the scene, according to court papers.

Township police and agents from the state Attorney General’s Office worked together to set up the sting in a parking lot off Carpenter Lane, investigators said. An undercover officer requested $1,700 worth of heroin/fentanyl from the suspect.

Two men arrived in a Mercedes Benz car around 9 p.m. The exchange happened inside the undercover officer’s vehicle with Treyvaughn C. Brown, 21, of Penn Hills, according to court papers.

Police surrounded the vehicle and took Brown into custody.

The second man, who was still in the Mercedes, moved from the passenger to the driver’s seat and drove it through the parking lot, according to court papers. The Mercedes hit an unmarked township police vehicle that had its emergency lights on, injuring an officer who was taken to a hospital for treatment of a hand injury.

The man ran away. Police Chief Rob Rizzo said Wednesday afternoon they were trying to identify him.

Police said they seized two cell phones, a face mask and $136 from Brown. His drivers license had been suspended, according to court papers.

He is charged with criminal use of a communication facility, drug violations and related offenses. Brown was denied bail. He was being held at the Westmoreland County Prison. An attorney for him was not listed in court records. A June 21 preliminary hearing is set.