Town of Tonawanda police on Monday arrested a man who eluded capture after allegedly pointing a gun at officers following a traffic stop late last month.
Brian Guzowski, 26, was arrested in Buffalo around 11:30 a.m. He was found staying at a home at 100 Ullman St. in the Riverside section of Buffalo.
"We received a tip about the kind of vehicle he was driving. We were able to locate him and he surrendered without incident," Town of Tonawanda Police Lt. Joe Carosi said.
He faces felony charges in Buffalo, as well as vehicle and traffic violations.
The original incident happened on Oct. 30 following a routine traffic stop by town police.
Carosi said Guzowski handed an officer his license, then fled. Police gave chase. The pursuit led to Guzowski's vehicle being stopped again. He stopped, Carosi said, then abruptly backed up.
He was then seen brandishing a gun, even leveling the weapon at police officers, who also drew their weapons.
No shots were fired.
He then continued his escape, which led into the City of Buffalo, where he managed to elude capture.
His license, however, was still in possession of police who have been searching for him for more than a week.
A town SWAT team combed a River Road neighborhood days later, after a tip led them to Guzowski's car in front of a Kaufman Avenue home. Police soon discovered the house is owned by Guzowski's grandmother, who granted the police permission to enter the premises, though the suspect was nowhere to be found.
But it was another tip that finally led police to the home on Ullman Street Monday, where Carosi said police communicated with Guzowski through another person, negotiating the terms of his surrender.
"We were able to establish contact with him through a third party," Carosi said, adding Guzowski had asked to surrender later in the day.
"We told him, no, we're not leaving. Come out now," he said.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Buffalo City Court Tuesday on a felony charge of menacing a police officer.
Guzowski did not have a permit for the gun, Carosi said.
"It was a peaceful end to something that we've been combing the area for, so that's good," he said.
Copyright 2011 - Tonawanda News, North Tonawanda, N.Y.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
