
Wright
ANSONIA — Police charged two teenagers with leading cops on a chase in a stolen SUV before ditching the vehicle on William Street, where it rolled down an embankment into a tree.
In a prepared statement, Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch said cops received a suspicious activity complaint at the Beaver Brook apartment complex on Woodbridge Avenue about 4 a.m. Wednesday.
“A resident of the complex reported two males in the parking lot at the complex that ran to a black SUV when they saw the resident,” Lynch said. “When officers attempted to stop a car matching the description of the suspicious car, that car refused to stop and led the officers on a pursuit.”
The chase ended on William Street, where Lynch said the two suspects “exited the car, leaving the car in gear causing the car to go down a steep embankment at the end of William Street and crash into a tree.”
The suspects fled on foot but were taken into custody after a search by cops and Kane, a police dog.
Charged were 18-year-old Jontae Wright, who was allegedly behind the wheel, and a 17-year-old from Bridgeport whose identify was not released because they were charged as a juvenile.
The vehicle had been stolen two days earlier in Ansonia, Lynch said, and had a stolen plate from another car on it.
“A search of the car revealed three more stolen plates along with various items believed to be stolen,” Lynch said.
Wright was charged with first-degree larceny, third-degree criminal mischief, possession of burglar tools, interfering with police, failing to obey an officer’s signal, engaging in pursuit, failure to obey a stop sign, traveling unreasonably fast, going the wrong way on a one-way street, failure to have tail lamps, and three counts of stealing license plates.
He was arraigned at Superior Court in Derby and ordered held on $10,000 bond and is currently jailed in Bridgeport. He is scheduled to return to court Sept. 4.
The 17-year-old was charged with first-degree larceny, possession of burglar tools, and interfering with police. Lynch said the juvenile was turned over to the Bridgeport police, “who held a take into custody order for the juvenile from previous juvenile offenses.”