Police: Morning foot chase in Stamford ends in arrest

STAMFORD — A New York parolee who lost one of his car’s tires in an accident in the South End on Thursday morning led police on a foot chase through backyards in hopes of getting away from the accident scene was quickly apprehended, police said.

Michael Rodriguez, of Dolphin Court, the Bronx, was charged with hit and run, interfering with police and possession of marijuana, police said. He was released after posting $25,000 court appearance bond, Sgt. Jose Alvarez said.

At 8:49 a.m., a police officer who witnessed the accident near the intersection of Pulaski and Berkeley streets saw a driver get out of a white Dodge Charger that had lost a front wheel and start running toward Washington Boulevard, according to Alvarez and radio transmissions of the chase.

The officer put out a call for backup as he watched the man, who was wearing a red hoodie and blue jeans, run down Pulaski Street toward Washington Boulevard, Alvarez said. Officers flooded the area, setting up a perimeter in the neighborhood, he said.

Minutes later, the man was spotted in the backyard of a home on Lipton Place, Alvarez said. The suspect was seen in the rear driveway of one home and the man began hopping fences until he got to a nearby home, where he was apprehended by officers, he said.

Rodriguez had just been released after serving five-and-a-half years in prison i New York, Alvarez said. He is also under probation supervision in in Connecticut, police said.

jnickerson@stamford advocate.com