3 Arrested After Car Chase, Shots Fired In Meriden: Police

MERIDEN, CT — Three people were arrested after a chase that involved gunshots being fired and a vehicle crashing into a business Tuesday afternoon in Meriden, according to police.

Police responded to the area of 580 West Main St. around 2:15 p.m. on the report of shots fired. Police were told two cars were involved with one car was chasing the other and a person from at least one of the cars was firing shots out of a car window, according to Sgt. Darrin McKay.

McKay said patrol officers quickly flooded the area and found a vehicle that had crashed into a business at 515 West Main St. The car was unoccupied and police found that three people ran away from the vehicle after the crash.

The vehicle had multiple bullet holes in the rear of the car, according to McKay. The second vehicle left the scene before police arrived. The vehicle was described as some type of SUV, but police had no further information.

“Officers quickly began to establish a perimeter as well as search for the suspects who fled from the crashed vehicle,” McKay wrote in a news release. “Three of our K9 officers responded and a track for the suspects was conducted. A short time later, one of the male suspects was located by a patrol officer several streets away from the crash site. He was found to be in possession of a handgun. A short time later, the two other suspects were located hiding not too far away from the crash site. Located in the immediate vicinity of where these two males were hiding was a second handgun as well as an undetermined amount of marijuana.”

The three suspects were at the Meriden Police Department as of Tuesday evening and McKay said the case is being actively investigated.

“None of the suspects were injured and thankfully there were no reported injuries to any other bystanders,” McKay said.

The identities of the suspects (if adults) and charges will be released later, according to McKay.

“Although this investigation is still ongoing, the three males in custody and the two handguns recovered are the result of the exceptional police work that was done by our patrol division,” McKay said. “The quick response, the perimeter that was quickly established, and the diligent efforts by every officer and detective involved, allowed us to apprehend the three males who fled the scene and to remove two more handguns off of our city’s streets.”

Anyone with information, or anyone homeowner or business owner who might have video surveillance footage, is asked to contact Detective Michael Fonda at 203-630-4178.