Greenwich Police made an arrest after a shoplifting suspect in downtown Greenwich fled north in a white Honda Accord with a North Carolina registration, through the area of Patterson Ave, where he hit another car and kept driving. The car later hit a phone pole, and ultimately flipped over in the area of Carleton Street and Lake Ave before the suspect fled on foot.
According to a narrative provided by Greenwich Police, the incident happened on the afternoon of Friday April 29 when the suspect, later identified as Jose Andre Cepeda, 25, of Bronx, NY, was observed taking merchandise from a store on Mason Street valued at approximately $500.
Store personnel went to search the area for the suspect and his vehicle. A description of the suspect was provided. Soon after, the Greenwich Police received a call for service for an unknown commotion outside of a store on Greenwich Avenue.
Officers determined that the Mason Street store personnel had located the suspect and his vehicle on Greenwich Ave, and the commotion involved store personnel retrieving the stolen property from the suspect, who then drove off toward Mason Street.
Greenwich Police also received a call from a store on Lewis Street describing the same suspect, saying he had been acting suspiciously in the store, but did not commit any crimes there.
Officers checking the area located a new, packaged and ready for sale bag on the ground near a car parked on Greenwich Ave. It was later determined that the bag, valued at $2,350 had been stolen from a nearby store.
Police say video showed that the bag had been stolen by the same suspect.
When officers spotted the vehicle headed northbound on Mason Street they attempted to make a motor vehicle stop, but the car accelerated, fleeing from officers.
According to the Criminal Information Summaries, the suspect fled at a high rate of speed into an area of heavy pedestrian foot traffic, ignoring stop signs, crosswalks and other traffic controls, and endangering pedestrians.
Police say officers followed the Honda at a distance and eventually came upon the scene of the crash on Patterson Avenue, where the suspect had run a stop sign, hit another car and continued to flee. Police said the two occupants were sent to the hospital with injuries.
Cepeda evaded that scene and continued to drive in a reckless manner before crashing into a telephone pole.
Officers caught up with the Honda after it had flipped over onto its roof in the area of Lake Avenue and Carleton Street, where a nearby homeowner said the suspect had run through her yard and over a fence.
Officers located Cepeda and arrested him for multiple charges including Reckless Driving (2 counts), Engaging Police in Pursuit (2 counts), Evading Responsibility with Physical Injury (2 counts), Failure to Drive Upon Right, Failure to Obey Stop Sign and Driving without Valid Insurance. For these charges, bond was set at $500.
Cepeda was also charged with Larceny 3, Larceny 6 and Interfering with an Officer/Resisting. Bond for these charges was set at $2,500.
Cepeda was unable to post bond and has a date in Stamford Superior Court on May 13, 2022.