FAIRFIELD, Conn. — A Fairfield police pursuit of two shoplifting suspects on Tuesday evening left two officers injured, according to the town's police department.
Police arrested the two suspects, identified as Amanda Belcher, 41, of Bridgeport, and James Coates, 49, of Milford, who attempted to leave a Home Depot on Kings Highway Cutoff with $1,200 in stolen items.
They are both repeat offenders and subject to multiple arrest warrants from jurisdictions in Fairfield, Greenwich, Shelton, the Connecticut State Police, Darien, Naugatuck and Ansonia, police said.
At 7:35 p.m. Tuesday, the Home Depot store reported the two known shoplifters inside the store to police. The store had previously warned both not to return.
Officers who arrived at the store spotted the suspects attempting to leave with the stolen items, police said.
A Fairfield officer pursued Belcher as she took off through the parking lot, according to police. Belcher can be seen on police video entering a vehicle as the officer attempted to pull her away, starting it up and drove in reverse, dragging the officer.
Video from police shows Belcher colliding with a parked vehicle as she pulled in reverse and drove away, injuring the officer.
Police said the officer's cell phone fell into Belcher's vehicle, and that the officer's Velcro name patch was torn off.
Coates allegedly took off in the parking lot toward Meadowbrook Road before a resident reported to police that they spotted him hiding their backyard. Police said Coates resisted arrest and was not listening to officers' directions, prompting them to use a Taser to place him into custody.
Fairfield detectives, along with the Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force, located Belcher at the Sunnyside Hotel in Bridgeport and arrested her at 8:58 p.m.
Police said they learned that Belcher destroyed the officer's cell phone and had taken their name patch. She was also allegedly involved in a crash on Meadow Street near Sunset Avenue behind the Lexus Dealership as she was escaping her arrest.
An AMR ambulance evaluated two Fairfield police officers who had minor injuries from the incident, police said.
Belcher is facing charges of assault of a public safety personnel, interfering with an officer, criminal trespass in the first degree, larceny in the fourth degree, criminal mischief in the second degree, reckless driving, evading responsibility, misuse of plates, failure to insure a motor vehicle, operating unregistered, unsafe backing and driving wrong way on a divided highway. Police held her on a $75,000 bond.
She was additionally charged on multiple warrants with violation of probation, larceny in the fifth degree involving two instances, conspiracy to commit larceny in the fifth degree involving two instances and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree, police said.
Coates is facing charges of interfering with an officer, criminal trespass in the first degree and conspiracy to commit larceny in the fourth degree. Police held him on a $10,000 bond.
He is also facing charges on multiple warrants of violation of probation, larceny in the fifth degree in two instances, conspiracy to commit larceny in the fifth degree in two instances and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree.
Both are expected in Bridgeport Superior Court. Belcher is scheduled to appear on Oct. 9, and Coates is scheduled to appear on Oct. 8.
Sean Humphrey is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at shumphrey@fox61.com.
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