Man Dead, Woman Injured After Driver in Stolen Truck Hit Them in Groton: Police

One man is dead and a woman is in the hospital after a man in a stolen pickup crashed into them in Groton while trying to get away from police on Thursday night, according to state police.

State police said a trooper was trying to stop 27-year-old Valery Labossiere, of Medford, Massachusetts, who was going 97 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone on Interstate 95 North in a 2013 Chevy Silverado that was reported stolen from Vermont.

Labossiere was going east on Gold Star Highway, went through a red light at Kings Highway and hit a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse that was pulling out of the Walmart parking lot at 150 Gold Star Highway around 10:15 p.m., according to police.

Police said Taylor Marie Wilkinson, 20, of Groton, was driving the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Her injuries are not life-threatening and she is listed in fair condition as of Friday afternoon.

It took around eight people from the Poquonnock Bridge Fire Department more than 15 minutes to free Wilkinson’s passenger, 22-year-old Deion Anthony Pittman, of Waterford, from the car with the Jaws of Life.

Lifestar transported Pittman to Hartford Hospital and state police said he succumbed to his injuries.

Pittman's family and friends said they are trying to cope with the loss of the 22-year-old, who had just passed the police exam

Labossiere’s injuries are not life-threatening and he was taken to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, according to police. They said troopers also found a small-caliber rifle in the vehicle that was also stolen from the Vermont home. In an investigation report, a trooper said he found a Republic of Haiti expired passport on Labossiere’s person. He also had a suspended license out of Massachusetts.

Police have taken Labossiere into custody and charged him with first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle, sixth-degree larceny, reckless driving, disobeying the signal of an officer, engaging police in a pursuit and operation of a vehicle without a license.

Bond was set at $150,000 for the first set of charges and $2,500 for additional charges. He is due in court today.

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