A 25-year-old Hartford man with a long history of arrests and convictions, was apprehended early Friday morning.

By Ronni Newton

A man driving a stolen vehicle in West Hartford was apprehended with the assistance of a K9 unit and arrested early Friday morning after striking two police cruisers while fleeing from an attempted motor vehicle stop.

Police said Jahari Dorsey, 25, of Hartford, was arrested after crashing the stolen vehicle into a guardrail on I-84 and then fleeing on foot.

Jahari Dorsey. Courtesy of West Hartford Police

Capt. Aaron Vafiades said a license plate reader alerted police at approximately 2:43 a.m. Friday that a vehicle reported stolen from New Haven was in the area of Park Road and Prospect Avenue in West Hartford.

Officers located the vehicle, a red Ford Focus, and attempted a motor vehicle stop, Vafiades said, but the driver sped off, striking two police cruisers.

Tire deflation devices were deployed, but the driver continued to flee in the vehicle, entering I-84 west at Kane Street, police said. The driver lost control and struck a guardrail, and then continued to flee on foot.

With the assistance of a West Hartford K9, police were able to apprehend the driver, identified as Dorsey, and arrested him.

Dorsey – who has been charged by law enforcement agencies throughout the state and has multiple previous convictions as well as pending cases on charges that include burglary, larceny, and evading police – was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree larceny, fourth-degree criminal mischief, interfering with an officer, and engaging police in pursuit. Vafiades said additional charges may be forthcoming.

Dorsey is being held on $300,000 bond and due to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Friday.

Anyone with additional information related to this investigation is asked to contact the West Hartford Police at 860-523-5203 or via the anonymous tip line 860-570-8969 or email [email protected].

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