SCRANTON, PA — A 20-year-old Scranton man died after a police pursuit that stretched across county lines and ended near the North Scranton Expressway, according to Pennsylvania State Police and Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland.
Authorities identified him as Christian Santiago. Rowland said Wednesday that Santiago died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Geisinger Community Medical Center. State police had already said Santiago was taken to the hospital after the chase ended.
The pursuit began earlier in the week during an investigation tied to a burglary and a rifle reported stolen from a relative’s home. Troopers said the sequence of events included local police trying to stop Santiago, his flight in a black Ford Focus, and a later confrontation on Interstate 81.
Police say the case began with a burglary complaint and a stolen rifle
According to state police, Scranton officers were investigating a burglary when they learned Santiago allegedly took a .30-06 rifle from a relative’s home. The investigation quickly grew beyond a routine property crime once officials say Santiago sent a family member a photo of the gun and ammunition.
That message prompted relatives to seek an involuntary mental health commitment warrant, according to the state police release. Troopers did not say when the warrant was obtained or whether it was served before the pursuit.
Scranton Police then attempted to stop Santiago. Instead of stopping, he fled in a black Ford Focus, which set off the chase that later reached Interstate 81 and involved multiple law enforcement agencies.
Troopers tracked the Ford Focus to Susquehanna County and pursued it south
State police said they located the vehicle at about 8:37 p.m. at the Penn Can Travel Plaza in Susquehanna County. From there, troopers followed the Ford Focus south on Interstate 81 through Lackawanna County.
The pursuit continued for miles before ending near the beginning of the North Scranton Expressway. Troopers said they used a pursuit intervention technique, or PIT maneuver, to stop the car.
A PIT maneuver forces a fleeing vehicle to spin out by striking it in a controlled way. In this case, police said the tactic brought the chase to an end after the vehicle had moved from one county into another and back toward Scranton.
State police say Santiago showed a rifle from the driver's window
Once the Ford Focus was stopped, troopers said the situation remained dangerous. In the Pennsylvania State Police account, Santiago displayed a rifle from the driver’s-side window and did not follow commands from officers.
The release said a gunshot was then heard from inside the vehicle. After that, state police discharged rounds into the car. Troopers have not publicly detailed how many shots were fired or exactly how long the confrontation lasted.
The sequence described by police places the gunfire inside and outside the vehicle in rapid succession, but investigators have not released a full timeline of the final moments. The official account remains focused on the pursuit, the weapon and the commands that were not obeyed.
Special response teams removed Santiago from the vehicle
After the shooting, members of the Pennsylvania State Police Special Emergency Response Team, Scranton Police Special Operations Group and Lackawanna County SWAT Team removed Santiago from the car, according to the state police release.
He was taken to the hospital, where he later died. State police previously said the death occurred at Geisinger Community Medical Center.
Rowland’s Wednesday afternoon email added an important detail about the injuries. He said Santiago “incurred no other wound(s) as the result of external gunfire during the incident,” indicating the fatal injury was the self-inflicted gunshot wound he later confirmed.
Officials have released limited details while the investigation continues
The available public account comes from state police statements and the coroner’s findings. Even with those updates, many questions remain about the exact sequence of events, including the timing of the gunshot heard inside the car and the officers’ response during the stop.
Authorities also have not publicly said whether the rifle recovered during the encounter was the same gun Santiago was accused of taking from the relative’s home. The state police release focused instead on the burglary allegation, the family’s concern after the photo was sent, and the chase that followed.
For now, the case stands as a fatal end to a cross-county pursuit that began with a theft complaint and escalated into an armed confrontation on one of northeastern Pennsylvania’s busiest highways.
