Bodycam shows the stolen vehicle suspects being pursued and taken down by Waterbury police officers
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Waterbury, CT - Officers pursued and successfully apprehended several suspects on Perkins Avenue Monday, according to the Waterbury Police Department.
After coming across a stolen BMW, police attempted to make a traffic stop, but it turned into a foot pursuit when two suspects jumped out of the car and ran.
Body camera footage released by Waterbury police shows the suspects being pursued and taken down, as officers and squad cars swarmed the scene.
"Don’t move, don’t move," one officer ordered. "Kevin, don’t move.”
Officers had mere seconds to react, as they found the car reported stolen from New Canaan with three suspects inside, and two took off running.
“Especially that video shows you that in our job as officers, anything can change in a moment's notice," Waterbury Police Sgt. Joseph Morais said. "Anything can change, anything can happen, and that’s something we train for.”
Before the squad car even comes to a stop, the video shows an officer opening the door and jumping into the fray. Meanwhile, one of the suspects hoped the police would buy his story after being tackled.
"I just came outside," the suspect said.
“Cuff him, cuff him," and officer said. "No over here, cuff him, cuff him.”
Morais added that all the preparation and training that officers go through is tested and put on display in frantic moments like these.
“Before it was contained in a vehicle, and now we have people going this way and this way," he said. "At this point, training and experience kicks in.”
The adrenaline kicked in too, as a suspect dashed for the woods, and officers sprinted after as quick as they could. Deep into the woods, the suspect tried to hide by laying down, but the officers didn’t miss him.
"Give me your hands, give me your hands," an officer yelled. "Come on my man, get up, get on your knees. You got anything on you? We’re patting you down.”
The officers that investigated this case are part of the department’s Auto Theft Task Force, which was created in 2021 as a result of drastic spikes in car thefts across the state.
“In the past couple years, there’s definitely been an increase in stolen motor vehicles," Morais said. "Which this team directly addressed over the course of those couple years.”
All three suspects are facing one count of larceny of a stolen vehicle, and the two that ran are also facing other charges.
Christain Almeida-Palomba, 21, of Waterbury, was charged with:
- Larceny of a Motor Vehicle
- Interfering with an Officer
- Improper Use of Marker Plate
- Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle Under Suspension
Josiah Hardy, 19, of Waterbury, was charged with:
- Larceny of a Motor Vehicle
Kevin Webster, 22, of Waterbury, is charged with:
- Larceny of a Motor Vehicle
- Interfering with an Officer