Men who fled crash on I-291 arrested on firearm charges

Two Massachusetts men were arrested on firearms charges last week when authorities recovered two rifles and two handguns shortly after the suspects fled a car one of them crashed on Interstate 291 in South Windsor.

Jamal Clark, 22, and Charles Brown, 25, of Springfield, Massachusetts, were each charged with four counts of illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and carrying a dangerous weapon and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm, possession of a machine gun and possession of a large-capacity magazine, according to Connecticut State Police.

Clark was additionally charged with interfering with an officer, evading responsibility and failure to maintain the proper lane after allegedly crashing a 2022 Dodge Durango on I-291 East just before Exit 4 on Friday, state police said. Troopers responded to reports of the crash at 2:47 p.m. and found that the unoccupied Durango’s front wheels were elevated, as the vehicle became stuck upon striking a guardrail attenuator in the left lane.

Officers with the South Windsor and East Hartford police departments were asked to assist after troopers received reports that two people were seen fleeing the crash on foot, state police said.

According to state police, a witness who remained on the line with Troop H dispatchers said the two individuals — one of whom was carrying a bag — were seen looking into a dumpster at a gas station near the Exit 4 off-ramp. Officers from South Windsor and East Hartford located Clark and Brown shortly thereafter at the gas station and found an “AK style rifle” and a Glock 9mm handgun in the dumpster.

State police said neither suspect suffered any apparent injuries in the crash.

A state police and East Hartford K-9 unit were used to search the area where the suspects had been seen, leading to investigators finding two additional guns that included an M4 5.56 caliber rifle with a 30-round magazine and a black Glock .40 caliber handgun with a 24-round magazine, according to state police.

Clark and Brown were processed at Troop H in Hartford and were each held on $1 million bond pending arraignment hearings in Manchester Superior Court on Monday.