Hartford officer injured during car chase

Suspect in custody after patrol cruisers were struck during brief police pursuit

A parole fugitive involved in a violent robbery and assault on a police officer in 2015 is in police custody after running from police both by vehicle and on foot, police said, in an incident that led to a

Hartford police officer being injured.

The female Hartford police officer was injured Friday night when her cruiser was struck by a fleeing car during a brief police pursuit as part of a firearms investigation just a few blocks from Hartford Hospital.

The officer has since been discharged from Hartford Hospital, police said Saturday.

The incident began just before 11 p.m. Friday when officers near Shultas Place and Franklin Avenue investigating firearms offenses were alerted to a suspicious truck in the area, Lt. Paul Cicero said.

Those officers stopped the vehicle and ordered two people out of the truck.

One of those people returned to the vehicle, however, and fled the scene, sparking a brief car chase. The vehicle twice collided with patrol cars, police said, including that of the injured officer, causing her injuries.

The driver of the vehicle tried to flee on foot but was quickly apprehended by chasing officers after a brief struggle, Cicero said. Then officers noticed the officer on the ground.

“Officers located a Hartford police officer on the ground next to the cruiser that was just struck,” Cicero said. “She was in medical distress. She is stable and alert. At this point, the investigation is still active and ongoing in regards to her injuries.”

Police swarmed the area in the immediate aftermath, with dozens of police vehicles throughout the neighborhood, public Facebook videos showed.

The suspect was later identified as Anthony Estrada of East Hartford. Estrada, who was on parole for a previous offense, is being held without bond.