CT Woman Leads Police On High-Speed Chase With Child In Car

BEDFORD, NY — A Connecticut woman was arrested after being accused of assault and leading police on a high-speed chase — all while she had her 8-month-old son in her car.

Westchester County Police said, shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday, a police officer tried to stop a Nissan Maxima for a traffic violation on the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway in New Rochelle.

The driver, later identified as Lexxiani Lopez, 20, of Hartford, Connecticut, refused to pull over and drove off at a high rate of speed, police said.

Her car was followed on the parkway by the officer until the county Police Aviation Unit helicopter responded to keep the car under observation.

Lopez continued driving north on Interstate 684, while county police followed at a safe distance.

Around the Route 138 exit in Goldens Bridge, she had to slow down because of heavy traffic.

As marked county patrol vehicles moved closer, police said Lopez tried to force one of the officers off the road from the left lane. He managed to avoid a collision by pulling onto the left shoulder.

She then veered from the center lane to the right lane, striking a marked county police patrol car, authorities said.

Lopez's car then went off the roadway, hitting a second county patrol car and crashing into a snowbank.

With multiple county officers and New York State Police troopers on scene, she was taken into custody.

Her 8-month-old son was in a child seat in the rear of the vehicle.

Lopez was evaluated at the scene by an EMT and released to county police custody. The child was evaluated and taken to Northern Westchester Hospital Center as a precaution for additional medical evaluation. He was subsequently released to relatives, and child protection services was notified of the incident.

One county police officer suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening due to Lopez's car striking her marked patrol car.

Lopez was charged with second-degree assault, a felony, and third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and endangering the welfare of a child, misdemeanors.

She remains at county police headquarters and is awaiting a virtual arraignment Thursday afternoon in the Lewisboro Town Court.