This Is Getting
To Be A Habit

Officers Martin Feliciano and Lou DeCrescenzo may have felt a sense of deja vu as they crashed into a bush to tackle a fleeing suspect Wednesday morning.

It was the third night in just over a week that they’ve chased down a suspect and wrestled him into handcuffs.

Feliciano (at right in above photo) and DeCrescenzo (at left) were the subject of a ​“Cop of the Week” story last week after they chased down a guy with a .44 Magnum and arrested him in Farnam Courts. On Sunday, the duo did it again, grabbing a gun and making an arrest in Farnam Courts.

Their latest grab started in a familiar setting: Farnam Courts.

This time they caught up with a man who recently escaped from police custody.

Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer Dave Hartman:

At 12:47 a.m. Wednesday, Officers Feliciano and DeCrescenzo were patrolling Farnam Courts by car. As they were driving toward the dead end of Hamilton Street, they spotted a red Toyota make a turn without signalling. When the cops tried to pull the car over, it sped off.

As they pursued the car, Feliciano and DeCrescenzo learned the car was stolen. They followed the car around Fair Haven, finally cornering it at the I‑91 entrance ramp. When Feliciano and DeCrescenzo ordered the occupants out of the car, the driver reversed the car onto the highway.

Officers Michael DeFonzo and Reggie McGlotten followed the car as it left the highway onto Quinnipiac Avenue. The car ended up at the end of Oak Ridge Drive in Quinnipiac Meadows, where the 21-year-old driver bailed out and ran.

“Officer DeFonzo chased [the suspect] through a home’s rear yard,” Hartman said. ​“Officers Feliciano and DeCrescenzo were waiting on the other side of the house, and tackled him into a bunch of bushes. [The suspect] fought the officers’ attempts to handcuff him, and was controlled after Officer DeCrescenzo used his Taser.”

A 21-year-old woman was still in the red Toyota. Officer Feliciano ordered her out of the car. ​“She swore at him and refused,” Hartman said. ​“He assisted her from the car, and after a failed attempt on her part to escape, [she] was handcuffed and charged with interfering with police.”

The driver had drugs on him and was the subject of several outstanding warrants, including one for escaping from police custody several weeks ago. He was arrested on the warrants and also charged with stolen car offenses and several drug crimes.