HARTFORD – Police are searching for a suspect who took off following a shooting on Brook Street in Hartford early Thursday afternoon.
Police said that at around noon they went to 116 Brook Street for reports of shots fired. Parts of the incident were caught on camera, which showed a black man in a gunfight with the driver of a blue Infiniti headed north on Brook Street. Police said a parked, unoccupied state vehicle on Brook Street sustained bullet damage to the rear window, but there were no reports of any injuries.
Later that day, police said they saw a blue 2001 Infiniti G20 in the area of 2790 Main Street, confirmed to be an exact match of the suspect vehicle from the earlier incident on Brook Street. Police said they tried to stop the car in the area of Main and Windsor streets. The driver of the Infiniti backed into the police car, then took off. After a short chase, police cut off pursuit after the car left the highway in Windsor.
State Police were advised that the car was last seen entering I-291 the wrong way. Police found the car unoccupied on 2-91 as the two occupants took off on foot. Police were able to catch the passenger, but the driver escaped into the woods off 2-91 in South Windsor.
A Colt Cobra .38 caliber revolver was located inside the Infiniti, according to police. Police said they then started a dog track from the vehicle, and found a Bersa .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun.
South Windsor police later saw the man who escaped riding a stolen bicycle on Main Street in South Windsor. The suspect ran and again escaped. K-9 units conducted dog tracks, but the suspect was still not found.
The passenger of the car was taken into custody and was interviewed by detectives who obtained the escaped man’s possible identity. It was also determined that the arrested individual was the shooter from the earlier incident on Brook Street.
George Rodriguez, 23, of Hartford, was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, weapons in a motor vehicle, and interfering with police.
