Cops: Two Arrested After Car Smashes into Police Vehicle, Guns and Drugs Recovered

It’s never a good idea to drive while under the influence of alcohol. It’s especially bad when one runs into a police vehicle. And it’s really really bad if there are drugs and a gun in the car.

That’s what happened in New Haven on Jan. 9, according to police.

Two people were arrested in New Haven after allegedly rear-ending a police detective vehicle.

Detectives Shayna Kendall and Lucile Roach were driving a department vehicle on Chapel Street near High Street on Jan 9 shortly before noon when they were rear-ended, said Officer David Hartman, police spokesman.

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Investigators noticed several beer cans, including one that was open in a cup holder inside the vehicle, according to Hartman. Police conducted a field sobriety test on Victor Santiago, 58, of West Haven. He failed.

Santiago was also allegedly in possession of a crack pipe and oxycodone pills. He told officers that he’d taken methadone three hours prior to the accident, Hartman said.

Officers Elizabeth White and Allyn White arrived on the scene to transport passenger Tina Deleeuw, 60, of New Haven home because of the bad weather and because she had a cast on her arm, Hartman said. The Mazda that crashed into the police vehicle was hers, but it was unregistered and uninsured.

As officers were helping put her into the cruiser a silver handgun fell from her cast, Hartman said. She allegedly told officers the gun wasn’t hers and she had no idea how it got there.

The gun was untraceable and Deleeuw allegedly told police it probably belonged to Santiago.

Santiago was charged with traveling too fast for road conditions, driving under the influence, operating an unregistered vehicle, operated an uninsured vehicle, drinking while driving, possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to keep narcotics in the proper container, criminal possession of a pistol and illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

Deleeuw was charged with the weapon crimes as well.

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