A Bridgeville man broke out of a police vehicle and ran off to hide in a construction vehicle after he was handcuffed and placed in the back of a cruiser at an Adams Township gas station, police said.

Tyler Case Rutherford, 39, was charged with two felony counts of flight, one felony count each of escape and evading arrest, five misdemeanor counts of controlled substance possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug paraphernalia possession and one misdemeanor count each of vandalism and resisting arrest following a Jan. 3 incident in Adams Township.

Adams Township police said they were dispatched to Sheetz on Dori Drive for a suspicious vehicle that had been in the parking lot for over an hour. Middlesex Township police and Evans City police also responded.

Police approached the vehicle and identified Rutherford as the operator. He had a felony warrant out of Allegheny County, police said.

When Rutherford exited the vehicle, police reported seeing a glass tube and related paraphernalia with a charred end in the vehicle.

Police said Rutherford placed his hands behind his back, and when the officer reached for his handcuffs, Rutherford dipped his right shoulder and ran.

Rutherford got about 6 to 10 yards, then tripped when a Middlesex Township police officer reached him, according to an affidavit. An Adams Township officer then jumped on Rutherford and pinned him ground as he continued to resist, the charging document said.

During the incident, an Adams Township officer punched Rutherford four times in the left side of his head because he was unsure if Rutherford was reaching for a weapon, according to the affidavit.

Police then handcuffed Rutherford and secured him in a patrol vehicle. They recovered 21 small plastic stamp bags and $557 in small bills in Rutherford’s possession.

Police then stood on the east side of the parking lot while checking the information of Rutherford’s passenger.

An officer then saw in his peripheral vision a figure running through a snow-covered construction area toward two large pieces of excavation equipment.

Police then discovered Rutherford had escaped the police vehicle. He was found hiding in the track of one of the excavation machines.

Police reviewed the car camera footage and determined that when Rutherford was placed in the patrol car, he immediately removed his seat belt and maneuvered the handcuffs to be in front of him.

Police said Rutherford was able to kick open the sliding window between the front and back seats of the car and exit through the driver’s side door.

When later searching Rutherford’s vehicle, police found 20 stamp bags of heroin, 3.5 grams of suspected cocaine, 32 capsules of suspected Gabapentin, a baggie containing a white powder substance, an empty baggie with white powder residue and two crack pipes.

Rutherford’s preliminary hearing had not been scheduled as of Friday.