BANKSVILLE, Pa. -- A man riding a scooter is accused of attacking the wife of a Pittsburgh Pirates player.
According to a criminal complaint, Subhash Modhwadia, 44, of Scott Township, followed the wife of Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Chris Snyder into a BP gas station on Banksville Road in Banksville after he said the two almost collided.Police said Modhwadianot then not only attacked Carla Snyder, but also the Good Samaritan who tried to help and a police officer. Slideshow: Pirates Player's Wife Attacked "He's kicking the doors, kicking the mirrors. And I'm like, 'Is this really happening?'" said Joe Changle, the first person who stopped to help.Police said Modhwadia threw the scooter in front of her car, started kicking it and yelling, "You almost hit me."
When she got out of the vehicle, he broke off her driver's side mirror and started swinging at her, police said in the criminal complaint."She wasn't really crying, but she was scared, which is understandable. She yelled for help, I just came," said the 22-year-old Changle. "He swung at me a couple of times. I told him, 'Don't do it again, or I'm going to put you down.' And he came over again. I just tripped him up, put him on the ground and held him down."While Changle tried to subdue the suspect, police said Modhwadia bit him in the arm.An off-duty Pittsburgh police officer happened to be driving by and stepped in to help and that's when, police said, Modhwadia began throwing punches with a key between his fingers.The criminal complaint says Modhwadia then took off his shoe and threw it at the officer."He took off his shoe and threw it. Another guy came over and said he was an off-duty cop. He picked him up threw him in the weeds. The (suspect) came back up again. Then the police came and he took his shoe off and threw it at the cop and hit the cop with his shoe," said witness Chuck Crooks.During the entire incident, the Snyder family's two children were in the back seat of the car. Chris Snyder was able to get out of the car, but because of recent back surgery, related to an injury suffered during a recent game, he couldn't move to help his wife, witnesses said.A witness told Channel 4 Action News' Amber Nicotra it was Chris Snyder's first day out of his home since the surgery.Eventually the officer was able to get Modhwadia to the ground and take him in to custody.Changle said he didn't realize who Snyder was until Modhwadia was in custody."I was like, 'What do you do? He put his head down and said, 'Actually, I'm a catcher for the Pirates.' And I was like, 'Oh, wow.'" Changle said. "I would have done it for anybody, it didn't have to do with who it was."Modhwadia is facing a long list of charges, including assault. Police said his class C license to operate a motorcycle expired last month. He's being held in the Allegheny County Jail on $25,000 bond.
