Police arrested three Wolcott residents caught in a stolen Crown Vic — as cops worked to thwart two street takeovers, one in Newhallville and another in Westville, this weekend.
The New Haven Police Department (NHPD) detailed those arrests in a press release posted to the social media site X on Saturday.
According to that press release, at around 11:15 p.m. on Friday, city and state police officers — who were assigned to “proactively prevent street takeovers and target people involved” — responded to the intersection of Shelton Avenue and Bassett Street in Newhallville.
There, they saw “a blue Crown Victoria in the center of a circle of spectators. There have been thefts of municipal Crown Victorias in recent weeks reported by various towns in the state and a similar vehicle has been involved in several incidents, including shutting down I95 on the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge on October 19, 2024.”
Police officers attempted to stop the Crown Victoria, “but the driver began fleeing from police.”
Officers successfully used “Starchase” and “stop sticks” as they pursued the car. The driver fled “until the right rear tire came off the car at the entrance to 91 North.”
The driver, an 18-year-old from Wolcott, “exited the car and began running away but was apprehended after a foot chase.”
Police also arrested two 20-year-old women from Wolcott who were occupants of that same car, and who did not attempt to run.
“The Crown Vic was reported stolen from the town of Cromwell,” the press release reads.
The driver was arrested and charged with racing/spectating, larceny of a motor vehicle, interfering with police, reckless driving, engaging in pursuit, failure to obey officer signal, first-degree reckless endangerment, and third-degree criminal trespass. He is currently being held on a $100,000 bond.
Later on on Friday, the press release continues, officers shut down a street takeover which was taking place near Central Avenue and Yale Avenue in Westville. “The cars involved in the takeover were doing stunts in the intersection, but as officers approached, they began to leave. Stop sticks were deployed and several vehicles had their tires deflated as they left the area. In the interest of safety, they were not pursued.”
The press release concludes by quoting Police Chief Karl Jacobson as saying, “We are not going to tolerate this kind of behavior. Street takeovers are extremely dangerous to the public, as well as to participants and we will be continuing our details targeting them. We will be using all available resources, including stop sticks, drones and video surveillance to identify those involved. As a reminder and warning, it is illegal to participate in a street takeover, even as a spectator, and you are risking arrest, having your tires deflated and your vehicle towed if you are involved.”