Police: Speeding, stolen car at center of West Haven crash

2 agencies investigating multi-vehicle accident

WEST HAVEN — Police in two local departments have open investigations into the circumstances that led to a multivehicle collision in downtown West Haven Tuesday.

According to police, a vehicle that had been reported stolen Tuesday morning from East Haven was being followed by West Haven police when it sped into traffic and struck three vehicles in the area of Elm Street and Washington Avenue. West Haven police Sgt. Patrick Buturla said the department is investigating whether officers engaged in a pursuit of the vehicle.

“It was definitely an attempt to follow,” he said.

East Haven police Capt. Joseph Murgo said his department received a report of a stolen 2015 Honda CRV at 2:55 a.m. Tuesday. He said the incident was related to a missing or endangered juvenile, so the department could not disclose more details.

“Our investigation into the stolen vehicle complaint remains open,” he said. “We are not looking for any additional suspects regarding this theft.”

Buturla said a West Haven officer found the reportedly stolen vehicle parked in West Haven. When an officer entered the parking lot with a police cruiser, the driver of the reportedly stolen vehicle exited.

“It did not yield to us initially,” he said.

The Police Officer Standards and Training Council dictates a uniform policy for police pursuits. Pursuits are defined as “an attempt by a police officer in an authorized emergency vehicle to apprehend any occupant of another moving motor vehicle, when the driver of the fleeing vehicle is attempting to avoid apprehension by maintaining or increasing the speed of such vehicle or by ignoring the police officer’s attempt to stop such vehicle.” Officers are permitted to pursue a vehicle if they have “reasonable suspicion to believe that the driver or occupant has committed or is attempting to commit a crime of violence, or there are exigent circumstances that warrant the need to apprehend the suspect in a timely manner because of the potential for harm to the public if the apprehension does not occur.”