Wanted Hamden man leads police on 3-town pursuit, across Tweed runway

NEW HAVEN — A 31-year-old Hamden man wanted on several felony charges led officers on a pursuit through three area towns Tuesday, including driving across the runway at Tweed New Haven Airport, officials said.

Members of the Shooting Task Force and the Criminal Intelligence Unit of the New Haven Police Department attempted to apprehend Alphonzo Dixon on Tuesday morning. Dixon was wanted on several warrants with felony charges including assault, sexual assault and domestic violence involving a firearm, police said in a release.

“Based on credible information, investigators learned Dixon was in possession of a firearm and therefore considered him armed and dangerous,” police spokesman Capt. Anthony Duff said in the release.

Officers had been searching for Dixon for several weeks when Detectives Thomas Glynn and Frank Sanchez saw Dixon operating a rental vehicle in downtown New Haven. Detectives in unmarked vehicles waited for a safe opportunity to apprehend him. At 11:24 a.m. on Tuesday, Dixon drove to a car rental return office outside of Tweed New Haven Airport.

Officers attempted a felony traffic stop at therental office, but Dixon began to drive away, police said. Dixon then crashed the car he was driving into an unmarked New Haven police vehicle and fled by driving through a chain link fence onto the airport runway, according to the release.

After crossing the runway, Dixon crashed through another fence and onto Dodge Avenue in East Haven. At least one police vehicle pursued Dixon across the tarmac area of the runway. Airport runway service was closed momentarily but quickly reopened, police said in the release.

Dixon fled the airport area and the pursuit continued onto Interstate 95 south. He continued to West Haven, where local police continued to follow Dixon as he traveled up Campbell Avenue from West Haven to the Westville neighborhood of New Haven. He was seen on Fountain Street, and then he abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot, police said.

Arriving officers from surrounding police departments assisted in canvassing the area of Amity Road in New Haven. NHPD Traffic Unit Officer Richard Burgos then saw Dixon in the passenger seat of a car leaving an Amity Road shopping plaza and officers stopped the vehicle.

Dixon was taken into police custody without further incident, police said. At the plaza exit, officers also detained the driver of the other car. Investigators seized a small amount of narcotics in both vehicles used by Dixon, according to the release.

“In addition to two warrants from New Haven, Dixon has an arrest warrant from Hamden Police Department and will be charged with a number of crimes related to today’s incident,” Duff said. “No firearm was recovered and the investigation is ongoing.”

Dixon was taken by ambulance from the scene to be evaluated at a local hospital. Upon release, Dixon will be transferred to the NHPD lock-up facility, Duff said.