x
Breaking News
More () »

Stratford man, who captured portion of police chase, not in favor of pursuit

STRATFORD- The Stratford man, who posted a video of a portion of a police pursuit, between two towns, has had well over 100,000 views on Facebook. No one was in...

STRATFORD- The Stratford man, who posted a video of a portion of a police pursuit, between two towns, has had well over 100,000 views on Facebook.

No one was injured in the incident, which covered approximately 10 miles. The pursuit involved cruisers from Stratford, Milford and the state police.

“I believe they did attempt to stop the vehicle with stop sticks and he drove through the stop sticks, which is why some of the tires were deflated,” said Capt. Frank Eannotti, of the Stratford Police Department.

Kevin Kylie, from Stratford, who was at the Pit Stop Café, on Bridgeport Ave. (Rt. 1) in Milford, to play pool, pulled out his phone when he heard the pursuit was heading right at them. He says he was saddened to hear of 15-year-old was behind the wheel.

“You’re 15 years old and you just went and stole a town truck,” Kylie said. “You know, you’re screwing yourself for the rest of your life. It’s just absolutely ridiculous.”

But, Kylie was also critical of police.

“You’re causing such a hazard right there by chasing that vehicle,” he said. “You should’ve just let them go. The town truck has GPS in it. You know they’re going to track it to where its location is anyway.”

He says he also witnessed the beginning of the pursuit, which was back over in Stratford at Stratford Crossing, a shopping center.

“Next thing I know, I see a Stratford town truck fly over the median, blow through a light and start heading toward Milford, with the cop chasing him,” Kiely said.

Police say the 15-year-old driver struck another vehicle and fled. So, they felt they had to stop him.

“If he is striking vehicles and fleeing, it’s a large vehicle,” said Eannotti. “He’s going to hurt somebody or himself. It’s our job to try to stop that from happening.”

The pursuit ended at the corner of Main St. and Cutspring Rd. in Stratford when the 15-year-old failed to negotiate the turn.

“He tried to make a brief attempt to flee, but our officers were right there and they were able to take him into custody immediately,” said Eannotti.

The 15-year-old faces seven charges, but police departments across the state say unless juvenile justice laws get tougher these types of incidents will keep happening.

Before You Leave, Check This Out