Stamford Police announced Wednesday evening that their Narcotics and Organized Crime Unit received information that a suspect wanted in connection with a violent domestic dispute in Dover, Vermont, was possibly hiding in Stamford after eluding capture in both Vermont and Massachusetts.
Mason Payne.Photo Shelton CT Police Department
Narcotics detectives were able to confirm that the suspect, identified as Mason Payne, 23, was staying at The Red Carpet Inn. At approximately 5:00pm, members of the Stamford Police Special Response Team, with the assistance of the Bridgeport Police Emergency Service Unit and the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team, located the suspect at the hotel and safely took him into custody without incident. A subsequent search of the hotel room and his vehicle resulted in the recovery of 2 firearms.
According to Shelton, CT Police, who had said Payne was considered armed and dangerous and had made threats to harm Law Enforcement Officers, Payne was stopped by state troopers on I-91 in Holyoke, MA, but he attempted to drive off, allegedly dragging a Massachusetts state trooper several feet, though the trooper was not seriously injured. Payne had last been seen driving in an older, black Audi sedan, possibly with temporary Vermont plates.
Stamford Police said their investigation remains active and ongoing, and all inquiries regarding the details of the Vermont incident should be directed to the Dover Police Department in Vermont.
The Stamford Police Department acknowledged and thanked the Connecticut State Police, the FBI Safe Streets Unit, the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, the Bridgeport Police Emergency Service Unit, and the Southwest Regional Emergency Response Team for their assistance and collaboration in bringing this investigation to a safe and successful conclusion.