Thomas MacMillan File Photo
A standout west side cop chased down a suspect in a rash of Westville car break-ins — and ended up sidelined with an injured elbow.
The officer, Elizabeth White (pictured), made the arrest this past Friday.
She and two colleagues, Officer Samantha Romano and Christopher Stroscio, were outside Mauor-Sheridan School at afternoon dismissal time enforcing school-bus traffic rules.
She spotted a man she knew was wanted on a burglary warrant and suspected of having committed two thefts from cars just that day. The man was walking by.
Car break-ins have plagued Westville all summer. Some 25 break-ins have occurred in the past two weeks alone.
White tried to stop the man; the man fled, according to top Westville cop Sgt. Renee Dominguez. White ran after him, tackled him to the ground.
The man, who lives in New Haven and turns 31years old on Thursday, fought with White and arriving assisting officers, Dominguez said. He allegedly punched White and Romano in the face. The officers succeeded in handcuffing him. They found on his person identification, credit cards, and foreign currency that had been reported missing from cars broken into that day on Knollwood Drive and Willard Street, Dominguez said. The man was charged with those two larcenies, two counts of assaulting an officer, risk of injury to children, and interference, as well as for the burglary warrant. He has been found guilty of 12 crimes since 2006, according to the state judicial website. He appeared in court Tuesday and is being held on a total of $40,150 bond on all new charges.
White dislocated her elbow and tore a ligament in the encounter. She is out injured “at least until next week” when she checks back with a doctor, said Dominguez. “I don’t need her out for long.”
Romano suffered bruises but remains on duty.
Dominguez said she wasn’t aware of any more car break-ins since the Friday arrest.
“I think he obviously is one of my thieves,” she said of the suspect. “I do think we have two [break-in] crews out here working. But I think we should see a significant decline with his arrest.”
Thank you, officers!