A man allegedly caught red-handed trying to steal tires off a vehicle at a Farmington hotel Tuesday was involved in a crash with a police cruiser during an escape attempt before he was found hiding in the nearby woods.
Officers allegedly spotted the man trying to steal tires from a vehicle at the Hampton Inn at 301 Colt Highway just before 1:45 a.m., according to the Farmington Police Department.
Police claimed that the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Bryant Serrano of Hartford, ignored police when they told him to stop and attempted to escape in an unregistered Toyota Avalon with misused license plates. The Avalon became disabled after Serrano collided with a responding officer’s cruiser, according to police.
Police said Serrano took off on foot and fled into a wooded area.
Officers from the nearby UConn Health Center as well as the New Britain and Plainville Police Departments helped establish a perimeter. The North Central Drone Team responded and worked alongside a Farmington police K-9 Unit, finding Serrano hiding in the woods.
He was taken into custody and charged with third-degree larceny, interfering with police, reckless driving, failure to renew registration, operating a motor vehicle without the minimum insurance, improper use of a marker, license or registration, operating under suspension, engaging police in pursuit and evading responsibility.
Serrano was held on a $75,000 bond and was expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court.
