MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — A Massachusetts man passed out behind the wheel on Interstate 91 in Middletown fought with police and had to be Tasered early Saturday morning by state troopers who smashed one of his windows to make contact, according to a release from Connecticut State Police.
After resisting troopers’ efforts to take him out of his GMC Sierra pickup, Sean O’Neill, 24, of Wakefield, Mass. was Tased, according to state police. He was later charged with operating under the influence, fourth-degree criminal mischief, two counts of interfering, second-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, failure to maintain lane and improper parking, state police said.
Around 2:28 a.m. Saturday morning, state troopers from Hartford’s Troop H were informed there was a disabled vehicle in a hazardous location along the highway between the rest area and Exit 20, state police said. Troopers said they noticed several damaged DOT traffic cones leading up to the truck, which was running and parked in the right climbing lane.
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The man later identified as O’Neill was seen slumped over the steering wheel, and troopers broke the window to awake him after multiple attempts to gain his attention failed, state police said. According to state police, O’Neill attempted to drive away before being removed from the GMC.
Once out of the pickup, O’Neill was combative and uncooperative while in the highway’s travel lane, state police said. They added that oncoming traffic created a dangerous situation for O’Neill, the troopers and other motorists.
State police said that troopers then pulled O’Neill out of the roadway onto the shoulder of the highway, where he continued to fight the troopers, who were attempting to put him into handcuffs. After being stunned by the taser, O’Neill began to comply, state police said. O’Neill declined medical treatment.
During their interactions with O’Neill, state police said that troopers detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from him and found alcohol containers in clear view inside the GMC. O’Neill was taken to Troop H and failed standardized field sobriety tests, state police said.
O’Neill was then processed and charged with violations, state police said. He was later released from custody on a $20,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Middletown Superior Court on July 12.
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Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@fox61.com
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