Southington Car Chase Ends In Cheshire Christmas Eve: Police

SOUTHINGTON/CHESHIRE, CT — A Christmas Eve high-speed chase ended with area police and a heroic Southington police canine taking four teenage car theft suspects into custody Sunday night.

The incident started in Southington and ended just over the border in Cheshire, with a New Haven teen and a Hamden teen, along with two younger juveniles, being taken into custody.

In a detailed statement released Wednesday morning by the Southington Police Department, police said Ronald Mcauley Jr., 18, of Fountain Street, New Haven, was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle; third-degree larceny; first-degree criminal trover; interfering with an officer; reckless driving; and risk of injury to a minor (two counts).

He was held on a $150,000 bond and appeared in court on Tuesday, Dec. 26.

Meanwhile, police said, they charged Andre Lorenzo Woods, 18, of Morse Street, Hamden, with larceny of a motor vehicle; third-degree larceny; first-degree criminal trover; interfering with an officer; reckless driving; and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Woods also was held on a $150,000 bond and appeared in court Tuesday, police said.

In addition, two juveniles — who could not be identified because of their age — were taken into custody and charged with larceny of a motor vehicle; third-degree larceny; first-degree criminal trover; interfering with an officer; and reckless driving.

Police said the juveniles were released to their parents and will appear in juvenile court.

The Southington PD said the incident happened late evening on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, when officers were alerted of a stolen vehicle on the Meriden Waterbury Turnpike and Interstate 691.

Police said the alert originated from the town's recently installed FLOCK license plate reader system that automatically identifies vehicles via fixed cameras around town.

Officers were able to locate the 2018 Kia Forte near Meriden Avenue and Main Street, following it briefly, police said.

Then, according to the SPD, the Kia accelerated and failed to stop at multiple intersections in the center of Southington in an attempt to elude police.

Eventually, the vehicle was seen traveling at a high rate of speed on Meriden Waterbury Turnpike "traveling at a high rate of speed," police said.

Utilizing "Stop Sticks," officers helped prompt the Kia Forte to turn onto I-691 West, then exit again, traveling northbound in the southbound lane on Highland Avenue in Cheshire, police said.

That's where the vehicle was found abandoned, in drive, with all four doors open, police said.

The SPD said the ignition had been tampered and it was able to be started without a key.

This initiated a manhunt, police said, involving Southington police, including a Southington police canine team, and officers from surrounding towns.

Police said Mcauley and Woods were quickly found by SPD canine "Tank" on Highland Avenue in Cheshire near the "Stone Bridge Crossing" development.

After Mcauley told police there were four occupants in the vehicle, police continued their search.

Ultimately, "Tank" entered a wooded area south of I-691, police said, and tracked the two juvenile suspects hiding in a tree, where they were easily taken into custody and charged.