CT man gets 10 years in prison for stealing car, carjacking truck on I-95 and assaulting cop
A New Haven man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 2021 incident where he ran onto Interstate 95 in New Haven at rush hour, carjacked a tractor-trailer and fought with a trooper and a state official during his arrest, according to a statement from the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice.
Frankie Montes-Rivera, 52, was sentenced by Judge Julia DiCocco Dewey to 25 years in prison, suspended after 10 years served, and five years of probation for multiple crimes he committed on Oct. 12, 2021.
Montes-Rivera pleaded guilty on Sept. 26 to charges of third-degree robbery, first-degree robbery, assault on a police officer and interfering with a police officer. He also admitted to violating probation, according to the DCJ.
According to court records, Montes-Rivera, who was reportedly under the influence of drugs, stole a car at a Citgo gas station on Chapel Street in New Haven on Oct. 12, 2021. Later, he abandoned the car and walked onto I-95 during rush hour traffic. At that time, Montes-Rivera reportedly approached a tractor-trailer and assaulted the driver by hitting him repeatedly with a metal thermos, then pushed him out of the truck onto the highway, police said at the time. He then attempted to drive away in traffic, striking several other vehicles in the process before crashing into a guardrail, court records said.
Man runs onto I-95, carjacks rig and drives it into traffic, state police say
Connecticut State Police Trooper Horatio Hinds arrived on the scene and said he witnessed Montes-Rivera attempting to put the tractor-trailer into reverse. Hinds deployed his Taser, striking Montes-Rivera in the leg, according to court records. Montes-Rivera then fell out of the truck onto the highway.
Herbert Johnson, an inspector with the New Haven State’s Attorney’s office and a former assistant police chief in the city, stopped to help Hinds take Montes-Rivera into custody. During a struggle with Johnson, Montes-Rivera reportedly reached for Johnson’s gun, breaking the holster from his belt in the process, court records said. Johnson, with the assistance of Hinds, was able to take Montes-Rivera into custody.
According to court records, Johnson was injured during the incident.
“At sentencing hearings, we often focus on the defendant but in this case, I would like to take a moment and recognize the actions of the state police trooper and Division of Criminal Justice inspector on October 12, 2021, and note their awareness and bravery during this incident and the compassion they showed toward the defendant once he was in custody,” State’s Attorney Michael A. Gailor said in a statement Tuesday. “Their bravery likely prevented others from being killed on the highway that day, and the restraint they used in dealing with the defendant perhaps prevented the loss of the defendant’s life.”
During sentencing, the court took note of the fact that Montes-Rivera was under the influence of drugs and was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the crimes but “expressed that the crime was of such a serious nature that an extended period of probation was warranted,” the DCJ said.