A man allegedly gave a fake name after he was pulled over for brake checking a trooper on Route 2 in Marlborough on Thursday as state police were trying to pull over a different vehicle.
A trooper conducting speed enforcement on Route 2 East around 10:30 p.m. spotted a driver who appeared to be going well above the 65 mph speed limit before the vehicle was clocked at 88 mph with a laser speed gun, according to Connecticut State Police.
As the trooper raced to catch up with the motorist, a different driver in the right lane moved over in front of the police cruiser in the left lane and applied their brakes, state police said. The trooper had to brake quickly to avoid a collision.
State police said the trooper then shifted their focus away from the speeding driver toward the individual who cut them off. The driver pulled over on the right shoulder when the cruiser’s lights and siren were flipped on.
State police said the driver immediately apologized upon realizing the vehicle they cut off was a trooper. The driver said he did not realize the vehicle was a police cruiser and thought the vehicle’s high beams were on.
As the trooper told the driver how dangerous his maneuver was and asked for his license, the man said he did not have it on him and agreed to give his name and date of birth, according to state police. While checking the information given, state police said the license associated with that name came back as suspended.
When confronted with this information, state police learned that the driver gave a family member’s name because he believed there was a warrant out for his arrest. The driver was identified as 35-year-old Brian Mazzella of Waterford. State police noted they could not find any active warrants for Mazzella’s arrest.
Mazzella was taken into custody and transported to Troop K in Colchester. He was charged with reckless driving, failure to maintain the proper lane on a limited access highway, criminal impersonation and interfering with an officer.
Mazzella was released on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Manchester Superior Court on Nov. 15.
