Bridgeport police arrested a 31-year-old man accused of running down two people with his car Monday, kicking and punching one of the victims and threatening to kill one if he “snitched” by telling police the assault was anything but an accident.
Witnesses told Officer Sandra Gonzalez that the vehicle drove directly into a 30-year-old man and his 34-year-old girlfriend as they were standing at Washington Avenue and Coleman Street, police said.
Police identified the suspect as Alberto Rios and said he got out of the car after hitting the victims and started assaulting the injured man on the ground.
Rios ran off and left his car, police said.
The victims were taken to Saint Vincent’s Medical Center.
The female victim is the a relative of Rios’ ex-girlfriend and told police Rios had been terrorizing the family since the break-up, police said.
The male victim suffered a broken leg and broken arm and required surgery. The woman suffered less serious injuries.
Rios later contacted police and admitted he was responsible for the hit-and-run, according to police, and told Officers Migdalia Ayala and Elizabeth Santora that that he saw someone who he had a “beef” with, saw the person reach for his waistband and instinctively drove toward the person.
He did not mention beating the man on the ground, according to police, and claimed he fled the scene because he feared for his life.
Rios was charged with two counts of first-degree assault, two-counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, third-degree assault, second-degree threatening and breach of peace.
Bond was set at $25,000.
