State police arrested a man after he allegedly fled from the scene of an accident in Westport and led troopers on a chase up Route 8 before crashing in Shelton.
The chase occurred Tuesday (Nov. 11) morning, after a crash on I‑95 north in the area of exit 17 in Westport, according to a prepared statement from state police, who said 911 callers told dispatchers a white van had evaded the scene of the crash.
A state trooper saw the van soon after, and tried to stop it, but the van sped away, continuing onto Route 25 and then Route 8.
The chase reached speeds of between 70 and 90 mph, according to emergency transmissions, before cops laid down “stop sticks” in the area of Exit 12 on Route 8 in Shelton.
The van hit the stop sticks, deflating its front left tire.
Article continues after audio taken from emergency radio transmissions during the pursuit.
Note: the audio has been edited and is not in real time.
The driver of the van then got off Route 8 at exit 13 and side-swiped another car as it took a right onto Constitution Boulevard.
The driver of the van was able to get about another mile before crashing into a pickup truck parked at the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Ivy Brook Road, after which he was apprehended following a “brief foot chase.”
Cops determined the van had been stolen out of New Jersey, state police said.
Troopers also “tentatively identified” the man, state police said, “but a positive identification is pending AFIS (fingerprinting) results.” He suffered minor facial injuries in the crash and transported to Bridgeport Hospital for evaluation.
Later in the day, state police, according to various news reports, identified the driver as Keith Ellis of Waterbury.
The man was charged with first-degree larceny, three counts of evading an accident, engaging police in pursuit, interfering with police, and refusal to be fingerprinted.
