Police say a CT man was driving more than 130 mph. Then he eluded troopers during two attempted stops
State police arrested a man on Thursday who they say was driving more than 130 mph during an incident in May when he eluded police on two separate occasions.
Justin Keith Davenport, 36, of Hartford was arrested on charges of reckless driving, disobeying the signal of an officer and interfering with an officer, according to Connecticut State Police.
According to state police, a trooper assigned to the State Police Aggressive Driving Enforcement Team spotted a motorist in a BMW sedan traveling at “reckless speeds” on Route 2 in Colchester on May 31. The trooper clocked the driver at more than 130 mph for several miles through Glastonbury and East Hartford, as authorities do not believe the driver knew he was following him, state police said.
When the suspect slowed down for traffic in a construction zone in the area of Exit 5, the trooper flipped on his lights and sirens and attempted to pull him over, according to state police. The suspect in the BMW accelerated and struck a concrete construction pattern barrier before driving recklessly through an active construction zone, state police said. The trooper did not pursue the motorist.
The same driver was spotted shortly thereafter stopped at a red light on the Founder’s Bridge entering Hartford. A trooper, remaining undetected once again, used a stop stick and was able to deflate one of the BMW’s tires, state police said. Despite the flat, the motorist accelerated and refused to stop when a trooper again tried to pull him over. He continued into the busy downtown Hartford district as the trooper called off the pursuit, according to state police.
“Over the course of several weeks and working in conjunction with several law enforcement agencies, a detailed investigation ensued, and the reckless operator was positively identified,” state police said in a statement Thursday.
Davenport was released on a $25,000 bond and is expected to be arraigned in Hartford Superior Court on July 28.