Wethersfield Man Accused Of Hitting Newington Cop With Car At Fast Food Drive-Through: Police

NEWINGTON/WETHERSFIELD, CT — A 22-year-old Wethersfield man is accused of fleeing a traffic stop in Newington at a Chick-fil-A and running into a local police officer, injuring him in the process.

The Newington Police Department on Thursday said Luis Antonio Lopez, 22, of Wethersfield, was charged with assault of public safety personnel, first-degree reckless endangerment, evading responsibility in operation of a motor vehicle, reckless driving, disobeying the signal of an officer, and failure to display lights.

After a police probe resulted in a warrant for his arrest, Lopez turned himself in to the NPD on Wednesday, police said.

He was released on $100,000 bond and will appear in New Britain Superior Court on Sept. 17.

The charges, police said, stem from an incident on March 19 at about 9:30 p.m., when NPD officers observed a vehicle repeatedly failing to stop during attempted traffic stops over a period of days.

Police said the vehicle was then observed entering the drive-through of the Chick-fil-A located at 3240 Berlin Turnpike in Newington.

"While officers attempted to stop the vehicle in the drive-through, the vehicle intentionally drove towards a Newington police officer and struck the officer with the vehicle before fleeing the scene," wrote the NPD in a release Thursday.

Police said the officer sustained minor injuries.

After an "extensive investigation" into the incident, the operator was identified as Lopez.

"The Newington Police Department remains dedicated to ensuring the safety of our community and the safety of our officers," wrote the NPD.

From March 20: 'Newington Officer Hurt After Being Hit By Vehicle At Chick-fil-A: NPD'