WESTPORT, Conn. — State troopers were injured in an altercation with a fugitive who resisted their attempts to arrest him in Westport Wednesday morning, according to Connecticut State Police.
Wesley Aldridge, 35, of Washington D.C. was eventually apprehended and found to be a fugitive with a warrant out of Missouri.
Aldridge is charged with six counts of assault on a public safety officer, two counts of cruelty to animals, interfering with an officer, reckless use of highway by a pedestrian, improper parking and operating/parking an unregistered motor vehicle.
The situation began around 11:39 a.m. on August 28, when a trooper responded to Interstate 95 South near Exit 17 in Westport for a disabled tractor-trailer in a hazardous location in the highway median, according to state police.
Before the trooper arrived, he was informed that the tractor-trailer driver left the scene on an electric scooter, crossing three travel lanes of the highway before driving southbound on the right shoulder.
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When the trooper attempted to conduct a stop, the driver pulled over on the right shoulder and was identified as Aldridge. He reportedly became hostile and uncooperative, throwing his scooter to the ground and advancing toward the trooper in an aggressive manner, state police say.
The trooper instructed Aldrige to sit down multiple times but was ignored. Aldridge then retrieved his scooter and began driving away. In response, state police say the trooper released his K-9, Gatti, but Aldridge reached a speed that the dog couldn’t match. The trooper and K-9 Gatti returned to their cruiser to relocate Aldridge.
State police say Troop G dispatch used DOT highway cameras in the area to find Aldridge exiting the highway at the Exit 17 off-ramp. Two more responding troopers intercepted Aldridge at the end of the off-ramp.
“Aldridge began to actively fight with troopers and physically resisted troopers’ efforts to secure him in handcuffs. The initial responding trooper arrived on scene and observed Aldridge actively fighting the other troopers,” state police said.
After Aldridge ignored multiple orders from the trooper, K-9 Gatti was deployed again and bit Aldridge in his right thigh. State police say Aldridge attempted to assault and choke K-9 Gatti, but he was unsuccessful, as troopers freed the animal from his grip.
At this point, Westport police arrived on scene and helped the troopers gain control of Aldridge and secure him in handcuffs. Even as EMS was requested, state police say that Aldridge continued displaying aggressive and combative behavior, which allegedly included spitting at investigators.
Aldridge was then taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Several troopers at the scene reported minor injuries caused by Aldridge, but K-9 Gatti was unscathed.
Investigation revealed that Aldridge was the subject of an active extraditable arrest warrant held by the Grain Valley Police Department in Grain Valley, Mo. The warrant was connected to a felony charge of first-degree harassment and was approved for nationwide extradition.
After being released from the hospital, Aldridge was taken to the Bridgeport Correctional Center and charged with violations under two separate incidents. First, he was charged as a fugitive from justice without a warrant and held on a $250,000 bond; state police say he was arraigned in Stamford Superior Court on Thursday.
For charges related to assaulting the officers and K-9 Gatti, interfering with troopers, using the highway recklessly as a pedestrian, parking improperly, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle, Aldridge was held on a $100,000 bond and was arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on Thursday, state police say.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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