The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office has concluded their review of a May 11, 2021, incident in East Lampeter Township that involved a Pennsylvania State Police trooper firing at the driver of a vehicle during a traffic stop in the 1600 block of Lincoln Highway East, where the driver struck the Trooper with the vehicle as he fled the scene. 

District Attorney Heather Adams has concluded that the Trooper was justified under Pennsylvania law when he shot at 18-year-old David J. Pratt after being struck by the vehicle driven by Pratt as he fled a traffic stop. 

Pratt was not struck by gunfire.  At the time of the traffic stop, Pratt had an existing felony warrant for Robbery in Lancaster County.  After the shots were fired, Pratt fled the scene at a high rate of speed, crashed the vehicle a short distance away, but continued to flee in the vehicle, abandoning it approximately ½ mile from the initial traffic stop.

Pratt was subsequently apprehended on May 26, 2021, in Lebanon, Lebanon County and arrested without further incident. He is in Lancaster County Prison on $250,000 bail.  He is charged with two counts of felony Aggravated Assault, and one count each of Simple Assault, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Fleeing and Eluding, Depositing Waste on a Highway, False ID and Driving Without a License.  

He is presumed innocent. 

Detectives with the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office responded to the scene to investigate the incident in conjunction with PSP investigators from Troop J York, Criminal Investigations Unit.

The incident happened on May 11, 2021, at approximately 2:20 a.m., when two Pennsylvania State Police Troopers initiated a traffic stop of a Honda Civic on Route 462, east of Old Philadelphia Pike, in East Lampeter Township, after Pratt, initially the passenger of the vehicle, discarded a cigarette out of the window of the vehicle. 

During the traffic stop, the initiating Trooper (Trooper #1) made contact with the driver of the vehicle using a passenger side approach.  Trooper #1 noticed that the passenger, later identified as David J. Pratt was extremely nervous and indicated this to Trooper #2 who was at the driver’s side window.  Trooper #1 received requested documents from the driver.  At that point, Trooper #1 asked the driver to exit the vehicle.  Trooper #1 spoke to the driver at the rear of the vehicle while Trooper #2 stood by the passenger’s side door.   

Trooper #1 then approached the passenger, later identified as David J. Pratt, who told the officer that his name was “D” and, when asked, indicated that it stood for “Donavan.”  Pratt admitted to the trooper that he was the one who discarded the cigarette out of the window.  Trooper #1 asked Pratt for identification so that he could issue a citation for the littering offense.  At that time, Pratt slid over to the driver’s side of the vehicle as Trooper #1 yelled “Don’t do it.”  Trooper #2 who was at the rear of the vehicle with the driver, ran to the front of the vehicle, drew his weapon, and at that time, told Pratt to “Freeze!”  Pratt then started the engine to the vehicle.

Trooper #1 repeated to the driver “Don’t do it” while still attempting to gain entry to the vehicle.  Pratt then backed the vehicle up briefly then accelerated forward on the shoulder of the roadway striking Trooper #2.  The impact propelled Trooper #2 onto the hood of the car as the driver continued to flee.  Upon being struck and thrown onto the hood of the vehicle, the Trooper fired at the driver fearing he was in danger of death or serious bodily injury.  Pratt continued driving on the shoulder of the roadway as the Trooper was still on the hood. Trooper #2 then fell off the driver’s side of the vehicle onto the roadway as he fired four additional shots landing on the roadway.  Trooper #2 then fired an additional two shots at the vehicle once on the ground to prevent the driver from escaping and injuring others.  The vehicle was not hit by those additional shots. 

The investigation revealed a single bullet hole in the upper half of the driver’s side area of the front windshield of the Honda Civic.

Trooper #2 was injured and treated and released that day.  MVR footage from the police cruiser captured the incident and corroborated the Troopers’ versions of the events. 

District Attorney Adams concluded that the Trooper believed his actions were necessary to protect himself from serious physical injury and that the belief that deadly force was immediately necessary was reasonable given that the driver had struck him with his vehicle and fled a traffic stop at a high rate of speed. 

“The Trooper’s belief that deadly force was necessary to defend himself and others from serious bodily injury both as the vehicle struck him and as the vehicle fled, was objectively reasonable and therefore justified under the law” said District Attorney Adams.

Pratt waived his Formal Arraignment in the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas on June 22, 2021.  A status conference has been set for August, 5, 2021.