Man Found Hiding In Cabinet After Crash In Meriden: Police

MERIDEN, CT — A New Britain man has been arrested on several charges after police said he crashed in a stolen vehicle on I-691 and later ran from officers and broke into a home’s garage to hide on Thursday morning, according to officials.

Police found Wally Little, 23, hiding in a cabinet after breaking into a garage at a home on Sunset Avenue in Bridgeport, according to Lt. Darrin McKay.

The situation began unfolding around 8 a.m. when a Meriden police officer saw a motor vehicle traveling on East Main Street by Gravel Street with “extensive front end damage” and appeared to have been in a recent accident, McKay said.

McKay said that “within a minute” of spotting the vehicle, Meriden police were notified by Connecticut State Police that there had been a reckless driver on I-691 East that smashed at least one guard rail and possibly multiple guardrails before leaving the scene.

“Believing this was the vehicle involved in the accident, our officer attempted to locate the vehicle,” McKay wrote in a news release. “Our officer lost sight of the vehicle, but spotted a male nearby whom he believed to be the driver. As soon as the officer made eye contact with this male, he took off running.

“The vehicle he had been driving was located approximately 15 minutes later in the driveway to the rear of a home on Liberty Street. At this point, an extensive perimeter was set up and officers from the Meriden Police Department along with the Connecticut State Police Department began to search the area.”

Witnesses indicated that the man, who had taken off running, was possibly in possession of a handgun, according to McKay.

“Our detective division along with Connecticut State Police personnel began looking through area neighborhoods for any useful video surveillance,” McKay wrote. “Although no camera footage was captured showing the suspect with a weapon in hand, we sent out a reverse 911 call notifying all area residents in case the suspect was armed. We also notified the surrounding schools within the area, and they were all placed on lock down as our investigation continued.”

Connecticut State Police had numerous K-9 officers in the area as they happened to be conducting training on Thursday, according to McKay. Meriden police also had two K-9s on the road, and they were all used in the search.

The vehicle involved in the accident was determined to be registered to a New Britain resident. New Britain police were contacted and responded to the person’s home, according to McKay.

McKay said the vehicle was determined to be stolen, and the owner wasn’t aware that it had been stolen until New Britain police arrived at their home.

Connecticut State Police also had aerial drones on hand that were used to search the area and follow the K-9 officers as they tracked and searched for the suspect, according to McKay.

Little was eventually found and taken into custody. Police determined that he was being monitored by an ankle bracelet and the Connecticut State Department of Probation was notified, according to McKay.

“At the time of the arrest, no weapon was located, however, based upon witness testimony we did utilize the reverse 911 system to warn area residents just in case,” McKay wrote. “Once the suspect was taken into custody, a second, 911 reverse was sent out, notifying all of the area residents that the situation had been resolved, and there was no further danger to the community.

“The Meriden Police Department would like to thank all of the members of the Connecticut State Police as well as members of the New Britain Police Department and the CT State Department of Probation for their assistance in this investigation. All of our Meriden Police dispatchers also did an outstanding job in-house, ensuring that all of the police personnel had up-to-date information and everything they needed as the investigation unfolded. The teamwork and the collaboration exhibited today between all four agencies and our dispatch personnel was exemplary, and the efforts of everyone involved helped to ensure that this suspect was apprehended, and that no police personnel or members of the community were harmed.”

Little was charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle, engaging in pursuit, interfering with police, second-degree criminal trover, third-degree burglary and two counts of simple trespass. He was being held in lieu of a $100,000 bond.