Five Stamford police officers injured in high-speed chase

Scenes from a car chase in Stamford that injured five officers Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 Scenes from a car chase in Stamford that injured five officers Friday, Feb. 15, 2019 Photo: John Nickerson / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: John Nickerson / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Five Stamford police officers injured in high-speed chase 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: February 16, 12:00 p.m.

STAMFORD — Police Capt. Diedrich Hohn identified the man who engaged police in pursuit as Jorge Duche, 29. Duche was booked on a number of charges, including second-degree robbery, assaulting a police officer and engaging police in pursuit, Hohn wrote in an email.

Duche could also be charged for Operating Under the Influence, Hohn added, due to evidence of PCP use found in the car he was driving. Bond was set at $250,000.

ORIGINAL STORY: February 15, 5:52 p.m.

STAMFORD — Five city police officers were injured in a high-speed car chase Friday started by a suspected shoplifter turned fleeing combatant and ended in a head-on collision on a downtown street.

Police have a 29-year-old Westchester County, New York man in custody who will be charged with multiple counts of assault on a police officer, reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit, robbery and a sixth-degree larceny for the pair of slippers he was trying to walk out of the store with, Capt. Diedrich Hohn said.

Police are not releasing the man’s name until they verify who he is after he is booked and fingerprinted at police headquarters. The suspect is being treated at Stamford Hospital for a broken hand and finger, Hohn said.

The chase began just before 12:35 p.m. at Lord & Taylor on High Ridge Road when security flagged down a passing police sergeant to help them stop who they thought was a repeat shoplifter at the department store.

While the man was trying to exit the store in the upper parking lot, recently promoted Sgt. Ryan McAllister tried to stop the man, who began to fight. During the struggle McAllister and the man fell to the ground, snapping McAllister’s ankle.

McAllister tried to use a Taser on the man, but for some reason the stun gun would not fire, Hohn said. The man got up from the ground and ran to his black Infiniti with New York license plates. Unable to follow with his injured ankle, McAllister called in the description of the vehicle and officer Joseph Rainone, who was on an extra job, heard the call and gave chase in his personal car.

Another cruiser quickly met up with Rainone and the suspect and tried to pull the vehicle over, but the Infiniti would not stop, leading police east on Oaklawn Avenue to Belltown. With police ready to throw down spike strips, the man turned south on Strawberry Hill Avenue before heading west onto Summer Street.

The man turned onto Second Street and jumped the curb, putting him into a grassy area. Then Hohn said he rammed a department SUV occupied by two officers head-on. After bouncing off that police vehicle, he struck another before coming to a stop.

Though his car was all but immobilized by heavy front-end damage, the man refused to get out of the car. Police sent a police dog in after him. The man fought with the K-9 before officers were able to get him out of the car where he continued to fight.

Police then took the man into custody.

Hohn said three officers were injured in the two crashes and a fourth officer was injured taking the man into custody after getting him out of the car. The officers suffered back, neck and shoulder injuries, Hohn said.

“I want to commend Sgt. McAllister. He was up at the store on a programmed patrol to give us high visibility in the downtown area and he got flagged down without knowing he would be rolling around the ground seconds after he got out of his car. That is the danger of police work,” Hohn said.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com