Meriden police have arrested a man accused of rear-ending a police cruiser and damaging construction equipment Wednesday night.
Authorities said a private construction job was underway on Lewis Avenue between Columbia Street and the Meriden Mall exit. A car slammed into the back of a parked police car that had its emergency lights on at about 10 p.m.
The police department said there were traffic cones surrounding the cruiser, and the impact of the crash pushed it forward 20 feet.
The car kept going, driving recklessly through the construction zone. It crashed into a pump trailer, valued at $30,000, that was over a manhole. The trailer was pumping water in the middle of the road at the time, police said.
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Officers said the car kept going, hit bypass piping and jumped the curb. The car became disabled, so the driver fled on foot and was ultimately arrested.
After the crash, water from the broken pipe sprayed all over the road and froze, causing the road to become impassable, according to police.
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Both the driver and officer inside the police cruiser were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries, authorities said.
The driver faces charges including assault on a police officer, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, evading responsibility, and more. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 203-630-6201.
