The Office of the Inspector General has released videos of what happened at an auto body shop in East Hartford on Sunday afternoon. Officials said two officers fired shots at a stolen vehicle after the driver knocked over two people and rammed into a police cruiser.
The Office of the Inspector General said police were called to Governor’s Auto Body & Repair on Governor Street in East Hartford just after 3:29 p.m. Sunday after a man pulled a gun on a tow truck driver during a dispute over whether items were missing from a vehicle that had been towed to the autobody shop the day before.
Officer Brian Altamirano was the first to arrive and saw a white Infinity in the parking lot.
A male was in the driver’s seat and another male and female were standing next to it.
Then, Officer Daniel Guilfuchi arrived in a cruiser, and stopped near the Infinity, according to the Office of the Inspector General.
When Officer Altamirano got out of his cruiser, he asked if anyone had any firearms and the driver of the Infinity drove forward, crashing into Officer Guilfuchi’s cruiser, the Office of the Inspector General said.
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The driver then backed up, and knocked over the two people who were outside of the Infinity and holding two children, the Office of the Inspector General said.
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As Guilfuchi was trying to get out of his cruiser, the Infinity crashed into the front of the vehicle.
Officer Guilfuchi shot his duty weapon around six times at the Infinity and Officer Altamirano also fired his duty weapon at the Infinity, the Office of the Inspector General said.
The driver in the Infinity drove off and went west on Interstate 84.
The vehicle, which had been stolen, was later found abandoned on Tredeau Street in Hartford.
The Office of the Inspector General, the Connecticut State Police Central District Major Crime Squad, the East Hartford Police Department and the Hartford Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office are investigating.
Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation by the Office of the Inspector General, according to police.
See the dash camera recording of what happened here.
See Officer Guilfuchi’s body-worn camera recording of the incident here.
