POLICE/FIRE REPORTS

NEW LONDON HIGH SCHOOL LOCKED DOWN AS SHOTS FIRED NEARBY

New London — The New London High School Multi-Magnet Campus was temporarily placed in lockdown Thursday while police investigated reports of shots fired in the area.

At 11:17 a.m., New London police said they received a report of four juveniles shooting a gun in a parking lot in the area of 80 Ledge Road, less than a mile from the Jefferson Avenue school campus. One witness reported three shots being fired in the Ledge Road parking lot near a wooded area.

The high school was initially placed in lockdown, and students and staff told to remain in place while police searched for the individuals who were shooting the gun. The lockdown was lifted shortly after, and the campus was placed in “secure building mode,” which prohibits movement in and out of the school but allows classes to resume. The secure building mode was lifted at 12:30 p.m., police said.

Police said their investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at (860) 447-1481 or submit a tip via the New London Tips 411 system by texting NLPDTip plus the information to Tip411 (847411).

GROTON MAN ALLEGEDLY RAN STOLEN CAR INTO COP CRUISER

Norwich — A Groton man faces numerous charges after city police say he rammed a stolen car into a cruiser, fled and was tracked with assistance from a Groton Town Police K-9 team.

Gianni W. Centeno, 36, of 39A Broad St., was charged at 2:29 a.m. Thursday with larceny of a motor vehicle, third-degree larceny-motor vehicle theft, first-degree criminal mischief, interfering with police, firstdegree reckless endangerment, failure to submit to fingerprints, driving with a suspended license, reckless driving and disobeying an officer’s signal.

He was held on a $100,000 bond and was arraigned in Norwich Superior Court on Thursday.

Police said Officer Anthony Marceau noticed a suspicious car in the parking lot of a closed business on West Main Street and upon checking the registration learned the car had been stolen. Marceau approached the car and was speaking with the driver, Centeno, when police said Centeno put the car in reverse and intentionally collided with the police cruiser. No officers were in the cruiser, and there were no injuries.

Police said Centeno then fled on West Main Street toward downtown Norwich. Police did not chase the car but located it on School Street. Police said Centeno had fled on foot. A Groton Town Police K-9 unit tracked him to a spot in a wooded area nearby. He was taken into custody without further incident, police said.