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WESTPORT, Conn. – Two men suspected of trying to break into a Westport commercial building early Monday morning led police on a car chase that ended about 20 miles away in New York, Capt. Sam Arciola said.
The suspects, who were spotted walking outside the commercial complex at 877 Post Road E. about 12:27 a.m., were pursued along I-95 southbound by Westport, Darien, Stamford, Greenwich, state and Port Chester, N.Y., police. The chase ended in Port Chester, where the suspects' vehicle crashed, Arciola said.
The chase began after Westport Police Officer Steve Pritchard spotted two men in hooded sweaters outside 877 Post Road E. during a routine patrol. One of the men reportedly had a pry bar in his hands, Arciola said.
When Pritchard entered the parking lot, the suspects ran to the back of the building, where they entered a white Dodge minivan with New York plates. It was later determined the suspects had tried to break into one of the businesses in the building, Arciola said.
"There were visible pry marks on the door to Ring’s End lumber,” he said, adding that the store is new to the complex.
The suspects fled, leading police onto I-95 southbound. During the pursuit, the suspect vehicle intentionally struck and damaged two Westport police cruisers, Arciola said. No police officers were injured.
As the pursuit continued along I-95, Westport police were joined by Connecticut state police as well as Darien, Stamford and Greenwich police. In an attempt to stop the minivan, state police deployed stop sticks along the highway, causing the vehicle to get a flat tire, Arciola said.
Port Chester police joined the pursuit as the suspects entered New York, Arciola said. The minivan eventually crashed in Port Chester, where the suspects got away, he said.
Westport police are looking into a possible link between these suspects and the two February burglaries at Mitchells of Westport, 670 Post Road E.
“We believe these suspects are linked to those burglaries,” Arciola said. “We’re looking at the evidence and circumstances surrounding those crimes.”
The suspect minivan is in the custody of the Westport Police Department. Investigators are looking for any evidence in the van that might lead to the suspects, Arciola said.
Comments (9)
Only a moron would agree with a person who has no clue as to what they are talking about or the circumstances of what happened. How could Jacksonfive see this develop from his house when this never was in any residential area. Unless his house is a tent on the Sherwood Island Connector or I-95. It's great to see people criticize with just their opinions and not fact.
JacksonFive
You are 100 percent correct..Only a moron would disagree with what you wrote.
"spotted two men in hooded sweaters" uh oh - they had hoodies on, where's rev. Al?
JacksonFive,
What exactly did you observe as the chase passed your house, and on what street did you observe it?
Wow...Jacksonfive, you live ON I-95??? I didnt realize there were houses on there!
The chase, if you actually READ the article, occurred on I-95...by the WESTPORT police, the Connecticut STATE police joined into the chase, still on I-95 into New York state...
Where is TIM T? Cause boy oh boy I know he's got something he wants to add. LOL. Where are ya TIM????
Everybody's an expert.. They should have just let these guys go, or gone back to the police station and waited for them to turn themselves in, right ?. If you were in charge, there would be no chases. The police could use the money that would save to put up signs at the town lines advertising your no-chases policy.
If the cops had the available cars nearby, that chase should have ended before it reached I95. The bad guys might have gotten away on foot, but enough cops, with a dog, would have found them quick.
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JacksonFive, What was handled wrong? Where's your expertise? I don't see anywhere in here where they went by any residential area. I know it may be hard to believe for someone with your experience in whatever it is you do but not all criminals get caught. Crazy, I know. Who are the Police serving if they just let the criminals get away? Would you want them to do nothing if your house was broken into? If so, I suggest that you do not call them for any type of service. Seems like the Police did a good job and it was just unfortunate that the criminals escaped (this time).
The Police handle this all wrong. Not only did they put people's lives in jeopardy. The guys got away. We watched this chase unfold passed our house and let me tell you if someone was coming in the other direction and it went head on innocent lives would have been taken.
Have the police not learned a thing out here about car chases taking place on tv in California? Come on now. Get smart, don't be stupid. Serve and protect lives. Don't go speeding down post road at 65+ miles an hour trying to catch guys that didn't even have anything of value in their crappy white van.
Someone could have been killed.