A 14-year-old and a 17-year-old were taken into custody in connection with a pursuit that began in Groton on Wednesday and led to multiple crashes before the car was abandoned on Interstate 95 in East Lyme.
The pursuit began shortly after the City of Groton Police Department issued a “be on the lookout” alert just after 7:30 p.m. for a black 2002 Mercedes S500 that had just allegedly been used to flee a traffic stop, according to Paul Gately, deputy chief of the Town of Groton Police Department.
Seconds later, Gately said, a concerned citizen reported seeing the vehicle parked in a business lot on High Rock Road. Groton town officers located the Mercedes in the lot where the driver allegedly fled and rammed a cruiser, according to Gately. The passenger side of the cruiser sustained minor damage. No officers were injured.
The driver of the Mercedes then engaged officers in a pursuit that began on Poquonnock Road and continued onto Long Hill Road where the driver allegedly continued operating recklessly into oncoming traffic, disregarding multiple speed and traffic signs, Gately said.
Officers set up stop sticks in the area of Long Hill Road and Kings Highway, but the Mercedes driver was able to veer away from them, striking a pickup truck that was traveling north on Long Hill Road and turning onto Kings Highway, according to Gately. The angled crash disabled the pickup, which was occupied by an adult and two juveniles. No injuries were apparent, but one of the juveniles was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for an evaluation, according to Gately.
The Mercedes driver continued fleeing to Kings Highway and Bridge Street and into the city of Groton, Gately said. The driver led police onto I-95 South where Connecticut State Police troopers took the lead on the pursuit when it reached Waterford, according to Gately. The driver stopped in the shoulder as the vehicle approached a construction zone near Exit 74 in East Lyme where three people got out of the car and allegedly headed into a wooded area.
Gately said Groton town officers were able to quickly take a female into custody before identifying her as a 14-year-old. A state police K-9 Unit conducted a track and took a male into custody who was also found to be a juvenile, Gately said. Police believe the third occupant of the vehicle, who could not immediately be found, was the driver, according to Gately.
The 14-year-old girl and the other juvenile, 17, were charged with interfering with an officer and released on a juvenile summons.
“Officers from the East Lyme Police Department, Waterford Police Department, City of Groton Police Department as well as Troopers from the Connecticut State Police assisted in the investigation,” Gately said in a statement.
The incident led to the northbound side of Long Hill Road being shut down at Kings Highway. Both sides of I-95 were also shut down in the area of Exit 74.
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information has been asked to contact the Town of Groton Police Department at 860-441-6712.
