Traffic & Transit
Naugatuck DUI Driver ‘Threw’ State Trooper From Truck: Police
The man is accused of "throwing" a state trooper from his truck during a traffic stop on the highway. Watch video from the incident here.
NAUGATUCK, CT — A Naugatuck man is accused of driving under the influence and “throwing” a state trooper from his truck during a traffic stop on I-84 in West Hartford on Thursday night, according to police.
Connecticut State Police received several 911 calls about a Ford F350 driving “very erratically, swerving across all three lanes” of I-84 East around 10 p.m. on Nov. 19, according to officials. Callers told police the truck nearly struck several vehicles and was heading east near Exit 34 in Plainville.
Troopers found the driver and “boxed in” the truck near Exit 40 in West Hartford, according to police.
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A trooper approached the truck on the driver’s side, “gave clear verbal commands” and then stood on the running board due to the vehicle’s height and tried to open the door, according to the police report.
The driver, later identified as Daniel Rapuano, “refused to comply, sped off and intentionally threw” the trooper into the center lane, police said.
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“It was reported that the vehicle was approaching heavy traffic,” police wrote in the report. “Due to the totality of the circumstances, intentional collision was authorized.”
The trooper was able to catch up to the truck again and struck its rear right side, causing it to spin into the center median near the Exit 43 off ramp in West Hartford, police said.
Rapuano wasn’t injured and refused medical attention, according to police. The trooper was treated for minor injuries at Hartford Hospital.
Rapuano, 36, of Millville Avenue in Naugatuck, was arrested on charges of operating under the influence of alcohol/drugs, engaging in pursuit, second-degree assault, second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, assault on a police officer, interfering, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving and failure to drive in proper lane. He was held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.
Police said Rapuano is a “high-risk offender” who was on supervised parole at the time of his arrest. The parole office was notified.
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