A CT man led police on a chase and struck 4 vehicles. He is now charged with manslaughter after the death of his friend.

A Waterbury man has been charged with manslaughter after his friend, who was riding in the passenger seat, died when their car struck four other vehicles during a police chase in Meriden in November.

Walter Spencer, 64, was arrested on a warrant in Waterbury on Wednesday and charged in connection with the death of his friend Arthur Wright, 63, who died from injuries he sustained in the crash, according to Connecticut State Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Investigators found that Spencer was driving between 95 and 100 mph in the moments leading up to the crash, state police said. Wright died after the Lexus they were in hit two cars and a Jeep and then rear-ended a transit van on Route 10, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Wright was trapped in the passenger seat for about 45 minutes and died after being rushed to St. Mary’s Hospital. An autopsy found that he died of blunt force trauma to his head and torso and his death was ruled an accident, officials said.

Spencer was charged this week with first-degree manslaughter, running from police, evading responsibility resulting in death, evading responsibility resulting in physical injury, evading responsibility resulting in property damage, failure to drive on the right, interfering with an officer and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny, state police said.

At about 4 p.m. on Nov. 19, 2022, police in Cheshire responded to reports of an attempted robbery at a liquor store and were on the lookout for a suspect, later identified as Spencer, who allegedly sped off in a black Lexus, the affidavit said.

An officer spotted the Lexus shortly after and tried to pull the driver over, using their lights and sirens, but the driver reportedly sped off, according to the affidavit. Law enforcement equipment tracked the Lexus going over 100 mph around that time, and officers watched the vehicle encroach into the southbound lane while driving north, trying to pass slower vehicles in a no-passing zone, the affidavit said.

The Lexus was reportedly speeding down Highland Avenue, known as Route 10, south of the intersection of East Johnson and West Johnson avenues when it side-swiped a Volkswagen Jetta while traveling about 82 mph, nearly double the posted speed limit, according to the affidavit.

Spencer then hit a Jeep Commander, began to spin out and struck another car, sending it traveling nearly 300 feet, the affidavit said. The Lexus then rear-ended a Ford Transit van and came to a stop. The van’s dashboard camera footage reportedly captured Spencer getting out of the car and walking away from the scene of the crash while Wright was trapped in the passenger seat, according to the affidavit.

The driver of the van told police he saw a man matching Spencer’s description get out of the car and asked if he was OK. The man did not answer him and “was in a hysterical state,” the driver said according to the affidavit.

He “only commented on the amount of damage to his vehicle,” the driver, Jagger DiFranco, told police.

Spencer was eventually apprehended by a police officer on East Johnson Avenue and allegedly called himself “stupid” and told police he “didn’t know why the [expletive] he was running like that,” the affidavit said.

In a statement to police, Spencer said that he and Wright had driven to a Cheshire liquor store where Wright reportedly tried to steal alcohol. Spencer said he saw the clerk catch Wright trying to shoplift from the store and said he drove away because he “didn’t want to be involved” but went back when his friend called and asked for a ride, according to the affidavit.

He said he was not driving fast to evade police but said “I was driving fast because I’m used to driving motorcycles and driving fast,” the affidavit said.

He also told police that he moved to pass a dump truck and then lost control of his car and that he never saw any police lights or sirens, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed a man matching Wright’s description reportedly trying to hide a bottle of Ciroc liquor under his coat at the liquor store that had reported the shoplifting, the affidavit said.

The warrant for Spencer’s arrest was issued in May and he was taken into custody on Wednesday morning. He was scheduled to appear in court in Meriden on Thursday and was being held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.