Man With 2 Arrest Warrants Flees Accident, Crashes: EH Police

EAST HAVEN, CT — An arrest has been made after a driver fled the scene of an accident and possessed a firearm in front of East Haven police once he was located after striking a utility pole, police said Wednesday.

At 9:35 p.m. on March 20 police responded to the 600 block of Laurel Street for an evading accident. The complainant told police that he was stopped at the intersection of Laurel and Bradley streets when he was rear-ended by another car that had fled the scene, police said.

Officers found a front bumper with an attached license plate in the middle of the intersection which was determined to belong to the evading vehicle, police said. The complainant was not injured, police said.

While speaking with the complainant, a passing motorist pulled up to officers and stated that the evading vehicle had just struck a utility pole in the area of Bradley and Lindberg streets, police said.

Officers Kershen Bissette and Kevin McGuire located the vehicle and driver, Luis Montanez, 24, off the road. As officers made contact with Montanez, "he reached into his waste band and pulled out a handgun," police said.

"Officers immediately gave Montanez verbal commands to drop the weapon and took him into custody once he complied without further incident," police said. "The loaded handgun was later seized."

Montanez was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital for evaluation and was later released.

Montanez of Quinnipiac Avenue, New Haven, CT was charged with:

• Criminal Possession of a Pistol
• Carrying a Pistol without a Permit
• Weapons in a Motor Vehicle
• Evading Responsibility

Montanez also had two active arrest warrants out of New Haven and Adult Probation totaling $100,000 bond, police said. As a result of that, Montanez was given a $300,000 bond and was later released, police said.