Police catch driver after pursuit from Warwick to Cranston
CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Warwick police said Thursday that a pursuit that began in Apponaug ended in Cranston with a suspect in custody.
Police said an officer attempted to stop a vehicle whose driver appeared to be impaired, but the driver refused to pull over. The suspect, later identified as 45-year-old Roberto Lopez of Central Falls, allegedly led police along Post Road, Jefferson Boulevard and onto Interstate 95 North.
Brian and Ana Yelle said they were walking with their one-year-old nephew on Toll Gate Road in Apponaug when the chase first took off.
“It started right there. We seen the very start of it,” Brian Yelle said.
Brian said the vehicle and a police cruiser came dangerously close as they passed.
“The cop was right behind him, and he went to go, and another cop pulled in front of him, they almost collided, and then he took off, and they went up that way,” he said.
Moments later, the pursuit moved onto Jefferson Boulevard, where Alicia Johnson said she was driving with her 10-year-old daughter when the car swerved toward them.
“All of a sudden like a car came from our left side and was going extremely fast and was driving on the wrong side of the road,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the driver nearly forced her off the road as police followed close behind.
“He really quickly swerved into our lane and kind of almost like drove us off the road,” she said.
Police said the chase ended in Cranston after the vehicle lost control and collided with two police cruisers on Interstate 95. Investigators said the driver then bailed out near Wellington Avenue before being taken into custody. No officers or civilians were injured.
Ana said the incident left her shaken.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking knowing that people drive like that constantly. It’s all over the place, and it’s scary,” she said.
Lopez was charged with DUI of liquor, eluding law enforcement, driving without a license, obstructing an officer in the execution of duty, and two counts of failure to stop for an accident resulting in damage to an attended vehicle. Police also said Lopez was wanted on an extraditable warrant out of Maine for carrying a prohibited weapon.
