Car Chase Defendant Misrepresents Identity

A man who led city police on a car chase through the city faced a preliminary hearing on Wednesday. A hearing was held for Deshawn Dean-Mitchell of Penn Hills, but when asked to identify himself on video from the Washington County Jail, the defendant stated his name was Devontae Dean-Mitchell of Washington. Prior to the hearing, a lady who did not wish to be identified or comment, indicated that she was the mother of Deshawn Dean-Mitchell and pointed to a man seated next to her and identified that man as Deshawn. When the hearing started, both were present when the jailed defendant identified himself as Devontae Dean-Mitchell. During the hearing three city police officers testified to an original call for occupants of a vehicle brandishing a weapon in Lincoln Terrace. When approached by officers the vehicle took off on a car chase involving three police cars reaching speeds of nearly 60 mph according to testimony. Dean-Mitchell hit an embankment and rolled his vehicle causing him and another occupant to have to be extricated through the rear window. During interviews at the scene and at the police station Dean-Mitchell identified himself as Deshawn. At the scene of the accident police found an electronic scale that was ejected from the car. They also found suspected crack cocaine and several baggies on Dean-Mitchell’s person. Dean-Mitchell will face 12 felony and misdemeanor charges of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person and drug possession. He will also face a charge of providing false information to a police officer. Dean-Mitchell will be positively identified in the coming weeks once finger prints have been processed.