Man Climbed Onto School Roof During Chase, Lockdowns Put In Place: Stamford Police

STAMFORD, CT — Two schools were briefly placed on lockdown Wednesday morning after police say a man in a stolen car fled from officers during a traffic stop in the Ridgeway area and later climbed a school roof during a foot chase.

Carl Dawkins, 33, was arrested and faces a series of charges, Assistant Stamford Police Chief Richard Conklin said, noting that Dawkins was recently released from prison and on parole.

The incident unfolded around 9:50 a.m. on May 21 when Sgt. Jeffrey Booth, who supervises the Stamford Police Traffic Enforcement Unit, noticed a black Mercedes Benz SUV going the wrong way down 6th Street and entering Bedford Street, Conklin said.

Officers tried to stop the SUV on a traffic violation, and the vehicle pulled over on Bedford Street at the rear of the Ridgeway Shopping Center.

As Booth approached the vehicle on foot, it fled and went through the shopping center at a high rate of speed and then went southbound on Summer Street, and eventually down Woodside Street, which is a dead end, Conklin said.

The driver, who was later identified as Dawkins, bailed from the SUV on foot and ran across all four lanes of Washington Boulevard, Conklin said.

Dawkins then jumped the guardrail and waded through the Rippowam River into Scalzi Park, according to Conklin.

Responding officers then saw Dawkins jump a fenced-in area of JM Wright Technical School, and as officers were converging, Dawkins climbed onto the school's roof, Conklin said.

The school was quickly placed on lockdown, and nearby Cloonan Middle School also implemented security protocols.

Five Connecticut State Troopers were called to the scene, and a perimeter was set up around the school building, Conklin said.

As officers entered the school building to respond to the roof, Dawkins jumped down and started to run in the rear of the property, but he was quickly taken into custody without incident, Conklin said.

At the same time, Stamford 911 dispatch received a call from a resident on Southfield Avenue who had just discovered that their Mercedes Benz SUV was stolen at some point during the overnight hours, Conklin said.

Dawkins gave police a home address on Main Street, but Conklin said that's not believed to be current.

"As officers peel this back, they find out that Dawkins is on parole and recently released from prison, and may be living in a halfway house in upstate Connecticut. We're still researching that," Conklin said.

The CT Judicial Branch website shows past convictions ranging from burglary to illegal weapons possession.

Officers also found items in the SUV that the owner didn't claim, Conklin said.

"We believe that's the fruits from a number of thefts, and we're trying to backtrack on that," Conklin added.

Dawkins was charged with theft of a motor vehicle; interfering with police; first-degree criminal trespass; engaging in a pursuit; reckless operation; and driving the wrong way on a one-way street, police said.

A court-set bond of $100,000 was placed on Dawkins, but Dawkins' parole officer remanded him to custody, said Conklin, who praised those involved in bringing the incident to a safe conclusion.

"This was really textbook work done by a host of officers involved in this," Conklin said.

Editor's note: This story was edited to reflect the correct age of the arrestee as 33.