An East Hartford man is accused of assaulting his ex, then assaulting a police officer who was trying to detain him Tuesday.
Police said 23-year-old Trevon Quinitchett, of East Hartford, went into his ex’s apartment in the north end of Hartford Tuesday, assaulted her and stole items, then fled.
The victim chased Quinitchett to his car, but he sped off, ran a red light and hit a vehicle on Kensington Street, pushing it into several others, according to police.
After the four-car crash, Quinitchett grabbed the license plate and ran off.
When Traffic Division Officer Noelia Resto found him, she tried to detain him, but Quinitchett punched her in the face and head, knocking her to the ground, then ran, police said.
Officer Resto was able to get back up and ran after him, alerting other officers of his whereabouts during the chase, according to police.
Traffic Officer Michael Taylor joined the chase, tackled Quinitchett and disarmed him of the screwdriver he was holding, police said.
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But Quinitchett resisted arrest and Sgt. Louis Raimundi helped take him into custody, according to police.
Officer Resto suffered injuries to her head, neck, shoulder and face and was transported to St. Francis Hospital. She has since been released.
Quinitchett’s vehicle was not registered or insured, his license was suspended and he had crack cocaine, according to police.
He was charged with several motor vehicle violations, home invasion, robbery, larceny, disorderly conduct, evading the scene of an accident, assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer, possession of narcotics and possession of narcotics within 1,500 feet of a school.
Quinitchett's defense attorney said his client “seriously disputes the facts” of the assault on the officer and was defending himself.
“He contends that he was not assaulting a police officer but was in fact defending himself from an assault by the police officer,” Defense attorney DeVaughn Ward said.
He said his client does acknowledge that there was a domestic incident, but “does strongly dispute the allegations of home invasion.”
