One Charged by West Hartford Police, Several Suspects Still at Large after Stolen Vehicle Rollover Crash
Audio By Carbonatix
Andre Gaston. Courtesy of West Hartford Police
West Hartford Police have arrested the driver of a car that flipped over on Fern Street Friday morning on car burglary charges.
By Ronni Newton
West Hartford Police responded to a report of attempted car burglary early Friday morning, and ultimately arrested one of the suspects after he lost control, rolled, and crashed the car he was driving – which had been stolen from Simsbury.
Lt. Eric Rocheleau said that West Hartford Police were not pursuing the suspects, who left the area of Whitman Avenue and Grennan Road in a Jeep Cherokee just before 5 a.m. Friday after allegedly burglarizing several vehicles.
The 2008 Jeep Cherokee was reported stolen out of Simsbury, police said.
The suspects fled from officers at a high rate of speed, but according to Rocheleau were spotted by other West Hartford police officers who were able to pull up behind the vehicle on Fern Street at the intersection of Trout Brook Drive.
Another West Hartford officer was able to deploy a tire deflation device at the intersection of Fern Street and Prospect Avenue, in an attempt to stop the fleeing suspect vehicle.
Police said the driver of the Cherokee avoided the stop sticks and “continued one block into Hartford at a high rate of speed.”
The driver lost control of the vehicle, which rolled over and crashed, hitting a fence, parked car, and several garbage cans on Fern Street just before the intersection of North Beacon Street. The Cherokee was a total loss, police said.
At least two suspects fled the scene on foot in various directions and are still at large, Rocheleau said. A State Police K-9 was deployed but did not successfully track any of the suspects.
The driver of the vehicle, Andre Gaston, 20, of Orange Street in East Hartford, was apprehended by officers at the scene.
Gaston complained of back pain and numbness in his legs, and was transported to St. Francis Hospital where he was treated and released, police said.
Rocheleau said that Gaston is now in custody of West Hartford Police and being held on $50,000 surety bond. He has been charged with second-degree criminal trover, two counts of conspiracy to commit third-degree burglary, third-degree larceny, simple trespass, interfering with an officer, engaging police in pursuit, three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.
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Looks line a fine individual
What purpose does it serve to post these mug shots?
How does this help the community you purport to serve?
You are fostering an environment where a minority resident is stopped and questioned while shoveling snow on his own property.
Wondering aloud if you are equally diligent posting the arrests and mug shots of WeHa residents?
I post any mugshot I am able to receive from the West Hartford Police Department, without regard to the suspect’s race, ethnicity, or anything else. Most media outlets (and I am not aware of any in this area that do not) publish mugshots and do not pick and choose which ones they will publish. In my opinion posting a mugshot of someone who has already been charged, especially when the suspect was clearly caught in the act of committing the crime, could not possibly be connected to the unfortunate incident of someone being questioned for shoveling snow based on matching the description of a suspect.