After one of his workers was stabbed Tuesday morning, Splash Car Wash manager Dave Jones got into his truck and started hunting.
How’s that for a good boss?
The stabbing happened at 8 a.m. at the car wash on 376 Bridgeport Ave.
It set off a dramatic manhunt that involved state police along with cops from Bridgeport, Newtown, Shelton, Stratford and Trumbull.
The suspect, 23-year-old Orlando Cruz of Bridgeport, was found on Oliver Terrace at about 10:30 a.m. after he was spotted there by employees from Satin America and United Recycling, according to information from Shelton police.
Police charged him with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, interfering with an officer and breach of peace. Cruz is being held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby Wednesday.
As of 1:14 p.m. Tuesday, police were still searching for the weapon.
The Fight
Jones said Cruz arrived at Splash on a motorized scooter shortly after the car wash opened.
Jones said Cruz is the ex-husband of a Splash employee. Police described the woman as Cruz’ ex-girlfriend.
The woman came to work Tuesday morning talking about a fight she had with Cruz the night before, Jones said.
When Cruz showed up, he started arguing with the woman outside the car wash, Jones said.
“Her ex-husband got violent and tried to go after her,” Jones said.
Other car wash employees stepped in to help. Cruz then stabbed a 38-year-old employee in the torso with a pocket knife, Jones said.
“We’re a family here,” Jones said. “My guy stood up for her.”
The victim, who was stabbed twice according to radio dispatches from the scene, did not suffer life-threatening injuries, police said.
A Chase
Cruz ran into the woods behind the car wash.
Jones started running after him, then changed his mind and got into his truck. The woods empty onto the shoulder of Route 8 south, so Jones headed onto the highway.
When he got on the highway, between exits 12 and 13, Jones said he saw Cruz come out of the woods.
Jones started to pull his truck over, but Cruz spotted him and ran back into the woods.
It was the last Jones saw of Cruz.
Shelton resident Katherine Gerwien posted a message on the Valley Indy Facebook page saying she saw a man matching Cruz’ description trying to cross the highway.
“He was frantic looking and, not having a clear shot to cross, he was running alongside the highway. Cars were stopping as no one EVER tries to cross (Route 8),” she wrote.
Police, meanwhile, were conducting their own search, enlisting the help of three police dogs.
Police found Cruz’ sandals and hat at Splash Car Wash. They searched extensively in the wooded area along Route 8.
According to emergency radio transmissions, police received information at one point saying Cruz may have been heading to Virginia.
Police stopped a commuter bus on Bridgeport Avenue, thinking Cruz might have boarded it to get to Bridgeport.
Bernadette Rivera was on the bus and posted to the Valley Indy Facebook wall moments after police stopped the bus.
“I’m on the 15 bus on (Bridgeport Avenue) and three police officers just boarded the bus looking for this man,” she wrote.
Shortly before he was captured, Shelton police had called off the search locally because they had pinpointed a cell phone number Cruz used to his neighborhood in Bridgeport.
It turned out to be a false lead. As police searched in Bridgeport, they received the tip from the Shelton businesses about a man matching the description on Oliver Terrace.
