A 31-year-old Hamden man led cops on a chase from downtown New Haven, onto Tweed New Haven Airport’s runway, into West Haven, then back into Westville.
It ended with the man’s arrest at the Amity Shopping Center.
The episode began Tuesday morning when New Haven Detectives Thomas Glynn and Frank Sanchez saw the man driving in a rental car in downtown New Haven. Cops had been looking for the man for weeks because he had outstanding felony warrants from New haven for alleged assault, sexual assault, and domestic violence involving a firearm.
Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Capt. Anthony Duff:
The cops followed the man to Tweed, where he stopped at the car rental return office. They tried to stop him there; instead he drove away, crashing into an unmarked police car. Then he drove through a chain link fence onto the runway.
He crashed through another fence onto East Haven’s Dodge Avenue. The chase continued across the runway tarmac, leading to a momentary closure of the runway.
Then the man man led cops onto I‑95, then off an exit into West Haven.
Now West Haven cops were on the chase, which proceeded to Westville, where the driver hopped out of his car and got away on foot.
Cops from several departments began searching the Amity Road area. New Haven Officer Richard Burgos then saw the man in the passenger seat of a vehicle leaving the Amity plaza. Cops stopped the vehicle and arrested the man.
In addition to the New Haven warrant, the man will be charged with numerous offenses related to Tuesday’s chase. He also has an outstanding warrant from Hamden police. An ambulance crew took the arrestee to the hospital for a medical evaluation.
Was it wise to chase this man through the streets of New Haven? I was on Whalley Avenue when several police cars whizzed by potentially endangering pedestrians and drivers on the road.