OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. — Two people were arrested after trying to steal cooking oil from restaurants in Old Saybrook and striking an older driver in Westbrook as they fled in a rental truck, according to Connecticut state police and Old Saybrook police.
Prince Gonzalez, 26, and Leuri DeLeon Blanco, 21, both of New York, stole the cooking oil from two Old Saybrook restaurants Thursday morning and stored it in the Home Depot rental truck, according to police.
The suspects were at Pizza Palace stealing cooking oil when the owner reportedly interrupted them. The owner called the police and told them the suspects then went to Luigi's Restaurant next door to attempt a cooking oil theft. Employees from Luigi's then confronted the suspects, and they drove off, police said.
While fleeing, the box truck struck an older woman's vehicle. She is listed in stable condition at a local hospital, police said.
The two continued to drive the truck on Interstate-95 where police put up some stop spikes. They eventually drove off the road in Westport and ran from the truck. State police stopped them without incident.
The rental truck was carrying over 1,000 gallons of stolen cooking oil, according to Old Saybrook police. The Home Depot truck was rented from New York and was overdue to be returned for three days, police added.
Both Blanco and Gonzalez are facing local and state theft and police pursuit charges, and are being held on a $50,000 bond. They're expected to face a judge Friday.
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