East Haven Police Cruiser Attacked During Street Takeover: PD

EAST HAVEN, CT — A crowd of people attacked an occupied police cruiser Sunday when an officer responded to a street takeover, according to police.

Police were summoned to the vicinity of the ShopRite Plaza at 713 Foxon Rd. around 2:26 a.m. on Nov. 30.

According to police, they had received a report of vehicles blocking the road and doing burnouts, and individuals setting off fireworks.

When the first officer arrived, several masked individuals confronted him, police said.

One person sprayed the officer’s police cruiser with a fire extinguisher and threw it at the vehicle, while others continued to light off fireworks.

Police said multiple individuals then climbed onto the police cruiser and began kicking it.

The group then fled “recklessly” in vehicles, but later returned to “parade past officers” who were on scene, according to police.

Police in North Branford and Branford subsequently saw the same vehicles “in what appeared to be an attempt to provoke similar encounters in those jurisdictions,” police said.

No one was injured during the incident. The police cruiser was damaged, however, police said.

Police are working to identify everyone involved, and they are seeking witnesses and reviewing surveillance footage.

Police Chief Edward Lennon said in a statement, “We will not tolerate targeted attacks on officers or reckless actions that endanger our residents and our community. We will use every available resource to hold accountable every individual involved in this weekend’s incident.”

Anyone with relevant information, photos or video is asked to contact detectives at 203-468-3820 or Det. Monique Colbert at mcolbert@easthavenpolice.com.