Police have arrested a man who is accused of hitting three police vehicles and injuring an officer while fleeing a traffic stop in Hartford on Friday night.
Officers were conducting an investigation about recent firearm violence in the southeast district of the city. Around 10:50 p.m., they said they performed a motor vehicle stop on a suspect vehicle that was potentially linked to an investigation on Shultas Place.
During the investigation, police said they noticed a knife and what appeared to be drug paraphernalia in plain view of the inside of the truck cab.
Officers instructed the occupants to exit the vehicle. While they were securing the front seat passenger in handcuffs, police said 50-year-old Anthony Estrada, of East Hartford, aggressively resisted.
According to investigators, Estrada was able to get back into the vehicle and get into the driver's seat before he accelerated forward toward officers who were on foot. He then hit a marked police cruiser, police said.
Estrada then reversed the vehicle and collided with a second police cruiser to make an opening for the vehicle to evade the scene, authorities said.
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Estrada then fled westbound on Shultas Place where an officer successfully deployed a stop stick tired deflation device, police said.
According to police, Estrada then fled northbound on Maple Avenue and hit a third police vehicle near the intersection of Franklin Avenue before the vehicle became disabled on Maple Avenue.
Investigators said Estrada fled from the vehicle and engaged officers in a foot pursuit, where he was later appended following a struggle with police.
At the scene, authorities said a Hartford Police officer was found on the ground, somewhat unresponsive. She was immediately transported to Hartford Hospital by cruiser and was admitted, police added.
Officers said her police vehicle had front-end damage as a result of a collision. It was later determined that her injuries were as a result of the collision with the fleeing vehicle, authorities added.
Police said they later determined Estrada is a parole fugitive, who is on parole for a violent robbery and assault on a police officer in 2015. He has since been remanded to custody and is being held without bond.
The initial driver and owner of the vehicle is cooperating with the investigation and has pursued charges against Estrada for stealing the vehicle, police added.
Estrada is facing charges including evading responsibility, larceny, criminal attempt at assault, engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, failure to obey officer signal, interfering with police and using a motor vehicle without owner permission.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Hartford Police anonymous tip line at (860) 722-8477.
