Groton Police Arrest New Britain Man in Downtown Mystic Hit & Run

GROTON, CT—Ryan Ragalis has a criminal record that dates back to 2013. The 26-year-old from New Britain is now facing a high-bail felony charge of second degree assault with a motor vehicle. After a months-long investigation, police obtained a warrant for Ragalis' arrest in connection with a hit and run in Mystic in June of 2019 where a female pedestrian was seriously injured.

Police say that on June 16 not long after midnight, Groton Town Police patrol officers responded to an hit and run on Water Street. Police said a car struck the woman who was crossing the street and Ragalis, whom police said was driving that car, took off. The victim suffered serious injures, police said, and was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, police said, Ragalis, who had fled into the town of Stonington, was involved in another incident with his car. At the time, Stonington Police charged him with driving with a suspended license. That case is still pending.

Over the course of several weeks, Groton Town Police Criminal Investigation and Patrol divisions worked the case and on July 29, an arrest warrant Ragalis was drafted and signed. It wasn't until Thursday Sept. 5, that Ragalis, of 78 Ten Acre Road in New Britain, was presented on a habeas at New London Superior Court where he was arrested on the strength of the arrest warrant at approximately 11 a.m., police said.

He's being held on $250,000 court-set bond.

He is facing second-degree assault with a motor vehicle, a D felony, DUI, evasion of responsibility with serious physical injury, driving with a suspended license related to another operating under the influence charge, and a number of criminal traffic violations including speeding.

Also in June, Southington Police had been looking for Ragalis on an active and outstanding warrant when they learned he was in custody. He had run from police questioning in a speeding car. Facing Stonington and Groton police charges, he was now facing charges from Southington. But despite the existing pending cases, and the new charges including disobeying the signal of an officer, unsafe movement from a stop, failure to maintain a lane, two counts of failure to use a turn signal, speeding, two counts of failure to obey a stop sign, reckless driving, illegal operation without an ignition device, operating under suspension, he posted $20,000 bond and was released.

Beginning in 2013, Ragalis was arrested on a number of motor vehicle-related charges. He pleaded guilty and was given suspended jail sentences, court records show, from a number of jurisdictions including Manchester, Bristol, Hartford, Danbury and New Britain. In 2017, he crashed into a cruiser on Interstate 84 in West Hartford.

Judiciary records on his current and pending cases include a June 6 Waterbury case of evading responsibility with a motor vehicle and property damage. He was released. A list of courts and jurisdictions include operating under the influence and driving with a license that was suspended charges, because of DUIs.

According to jail records, Ragalis is now being held in the New Haven Correctional Center.