Watertown police have arrested four teens accused of ramming a police cruiser with a stolen car and running off around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 20.
Officers were responding to reports of car break-ins on Georgetown Drive in Watertown when two people ran off and four others got into a BMW that had been stolen from Waterbury, police said.
The teens sped off on Bunker Hill Road, went through a red light and slammed the BMW into a police cruiser in the area of 535 Straits Turnpike, knocking off the back tire, according to Watertown police Lt. Tim Gavallas.
Sgt. David Ciarleglio, an 11-year veteran of the department, was hit, hospitalized for a brief time and was out of work for a few days, authorities said.
Police were able to obtain forensic evidence from the car, submitted it to the state lab and identified a 17-year-old boy. Waterbury police were able to identify another suspect and Watertown police were able to identified two other.
All four teens are in juvenile detention and police said another person might have been in the car.
A 14-year-old, a 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were charged with larceny in the first degree and interfering with a police officer.
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Another 17-year-old was charged with larceny first degree, interfering with an police officer, assault on a police officer, criminal trover, risk of injury to a minor and reckless endangerment in the first degree.
"It's miraculous, once you see the damage to the cruiser, that our sergeant made it out alive," Deputy Chief Robert Desena, of the Watertown Police Department, said."Fortunately our sergeant made it through; unfortunately, we didn't find out who is responsible."
Police are continuing to investigate.
