PARAMUS, NJ — When police converged on a Mercedes in a mall parking lot Thursday night — intending to arrest the three occupants for prior thefts at the mall — the driver rammed several patrol cars, officials said Friday.
Tyron N. Hartfield, 37, of Irvington, Shaquan Cuttino, 32, of Newark, and Xavier Z. Granger, 22, of Newark, were arrested after police apprehended them in the parking lot of the Westfield Garden State Plaza mall, said Paramus Police Chief Robert Guidetti.
Guidetti said that around 9:15 p.m. Thursday, Officer Matthew Mulick of the Paramus Police Department's Crime Suppression Unit spotted the car, which had been linked to two handbag robberies from the Gucci store at the mall earlier this month.
The car was also linked to a robbery in Tenafly earlier on Thursday, Guidetti said.
Police converged on the car and ordered everyone inside to get out, Guidetti said.
But Cuttino, the driver, instead accelerated and rammed multiple Paramus police cars, Guidetti said.
Detective Sgt. Matt McGuire and Officer Matthew Mulick were able to get Cuttino out of the driver's seat and arrest him.
Officer Sean Casey then removed the front-seat passenger and rear-seat passenger, police said, identified as Granger and Hartfield.
One officer sustained a minor injury and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. He was treated and released, police said.
Shaquan Cuttino was charged with two counts of aggravated assault, a count of conspiracy to commit theft, two counts of assault by auto, three counts of resisting arrest, three counts of criminal mischief, and a count of eluding, police said.
Hartfield and Granger were charged with obstruction, conspiracy to commit theft, and resisting arrest.
All three were taken to the Bergen County Jail to await a court appearance, Guidetti said.
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