'Alarming Trend' Of Unprovoked Violent Encounters Targeting EH Cops

EAST HAVEN, CT — East Haven Police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo did not mince words.

"We are witnessing an alarming trend of unprovoked violent encounters targeting our police officers who are simply trying to do their jobs. This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Please know that we are actively working with our law enforcement partners to put an end to these incidents. We are grateful that, so far, no one has been injured during these increasingly frequent occurrences."

At 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, a white or silver sedan approached a patrol sergeant from the rear at a high rate of speed and flashed their high beams, seemingly flagging a sergeant down for assistance, Murgo said. "When the sergeant slowed down and pulled to the right to see what the motorist wanted, the suspect vehicle rammed the police cruiser twice," he said.

The car then hopped a curb, made a U turn, heading west on Foxon Road at a high rate of speed, Murgo said. And while the officer lost sight of the vehicle, which appeared to head towards New Haven, cops saturated the area but did not find the car.

It's the second time in a week that there has been "unprovoked violence towards officers in East Haven," Murgo said.

"The first involved another vehicle approaching an officer in a parking lot. When the vehicle got close enough to the officer, an occupant within threw feces at his cruiser and taunted him to chase them," Murgo described. "The officer instead decided not to pursue and radioed in the vehicle's last known location.

Police said that incidents involving cars taunting officers to chase them and coming back around to find them if they aren’t chased are increasing as well.

Murgo said cops have "received and continue to receive" information that the actions are being committed by juveniles, sometimes in their early teens.

"Our plea is for parents to be aware of what their children may be doing during the overnight hours," Murgo said. "Juvenile privacy laws prohibit us from releasing details when juveniles are involved, but any agency will tell you that a large amount of these issues are being perpetrated by juveniles in our community."