The man who removed his clothes after he deliberately slammed his Hyundai Accent into the back of another man’s vehicle on East Third Street, just east of Penn Street, on June 27 has been identified as Kyle Orlanda Praster, who was brought before a district judge Tuesday to face felony and misdemeanor charges.

Traveling west on East Third Street at a very high rate of speed, Praster, 32, of 816 Prospect Ave., crashed into a Hyundai Elantra that was destroyed by the 12:45 p.m. impact, police said. Damage to that vehicle alone was set at $22,000 police said. Following the collision, Praster’s vehicle pushed the Elantra 100 yards. The driver of Elantra, whose identity has not been released, was treated at UPMC Williamsport and later discharged, police said.

Following the collision, Praster got out of the vehicle and fled west toward East Church and Academy streets, taking off all his clothing as he ran, police alleged. An officer confronted him and told him to lie on the ground, which he did for a moment, but then “he stood up, charged towards the officer and struck him in the face at least twice,” it was alleged in an affidavit. Praster was restrained only after an officer deployed a taser, police said. He was taken by ambulance to UPMC Williamsport and then transferred to another medical facility, where he was hospitalized until this week, police said.

Through their investigation, officers learned that immediately after hitting the Elantra and ramming it multiple times, “Praster’s vehicle drove onto the sidewalk and came within about three feet of striking a pedestrian. The entire crash was captured on a dashcam in the Elantra,” it was stated in the court document.

Before getting in his Accent, Praster, an employee at Leading Electronics at 673 E. Third St., suffered “a mental health episode” in the business, “damaging a display case and several computer monitors,” police said in the affidavit. Other employees attempted to retrain him, but they were unsuccessful.

Praster has been arraigned before District Judge Kirsten Gardner on felony charges of aggravated assault and criminal mischief as well as several misdemeanors, including two counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count each of simple assault, indecent exposure, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and hit-run. He was committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $30,000 bail.