HARTFORD, Conn. — A Hartford man accused of threatening a State Police Sergeant is facing multiple charges after being arrested on Tuesday.
Raymond Lapinski, 29, was identified as the individual who had threatened to kill the sergeant and was charged with two counts of Assault of a Public Safety Officer, Criminal Attempt to Commit Assault in the 1st Degree, Interfering with an Officer, Carrying a Dangerous Weapon. On an existing warrant he was also charged with Threatening in the 2nd Degree, Reckless Endangerment in the 1st Degree, Reckless Driving, and Disobeying the Signal of an Officer/Attempting to Elude or Escape an Officer.
These charges stem from an incident on Monday at 10:30 a.m. where, an on-duty Connecticut State Police Sergeant, working in plain clothes with his State Police badge displayed, was entering his vehicle, which was parked on Asylum St. As he entered his vehicle, a white male with long hair, wearing eyeglasses, seated in the driver’s seat of a silver Honda Accord began to shout at the Sergeant and asked the Sergeant if he was “a cop.”
After the Sergeant confirmed that he was, in fact, a member of law enforcement, the unidentified male responded by saying that he “kills cops.” The unidentified white male went on to threaten to kill the Sergeant specifically.
The Sergeant then went to the Honda, issuing verbal commands to the male, so he could take him into custody. The male ignored the Sergeant and fled the in the Honda, traveling westbound on Asylum Street. The Sergeant was able to get the registration plate on the Honda and gave it to Troop H dispatch. The Honda then came to a stop a short distance away, where the male leaned out the window, displayed an obscene hand gesture, and yelled profanities at the Sergeant before continuing to drive. The Sergeant then traveled toward Troop H to continue the investigation.
Later, the Sergeant saw the same silver Honda traveling on Pulaski Circle and told Troop H he would try to stop the car with his emergency lights and siren. The silver Honda then accelerated onto the Whitehead Highway and traveled towards I-91, where the Honda was seen driving recklessly at above 100 MPH. Efforts to stop the Honda were stopped in the area of I-91 southbound in the area of Exit 28.
During the investigation, the Sergeant identified Lapinski as the person the car belonged to and who had threatened to kill him and engaged in pursuit. It was revealed that Lapinski had active arrest warrants held by two local police departments.
State Police then drafted an arrest warrant for Lipinski for the threatening incident and pursuit.
On Tuesday, State Police and Hartford police tried to find Lapinski in Hartford. At 9:16 a.m., investigators found him in the area of Asylum Ave. and Ann Ucello St. Troopers told Lapinski to lie down on the ground, but he pulled out a knife. Troopers then drew their weapons, at which time Lapinski complied and dropped the knife. The knife was secured and Lapinski was taken into custody.
As Lapinski was taken into a Hartford Police cruiser, he started resisting, becoming combative with Troopers and yelling obscenities. The State Police Sergeant whom Lapinski is accused of threatening the day before and a State Police Detective each sustained minor injuries during the struggle to secure him.
Lapinski was taken to the Hartford Correctional Center where he was processed and charged. He's held on a $1 million bond and was transferred to the custody of the CT Department of Corrections (DOC) pending his arraignment scheduled on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, at 10 a.m., State Police served his active arrest warrant while Lipinski was still being held in DOC custody. Lipinsky was processed and charged.
Lapinski was held on an additional $100,000 cash/surety bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Hartford Superior Court on Wednesday
Arrests from several other jurisdictions are anticipated.
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