Man Who Escaped From Conn. Police Cruiser Caught
STAMFORD, Conn. -- A city man who escaped from a police cruiser late last month was arrested Thursday after an officer spotted him getting into a car on East Main Street, police said Friday.
The suspect, 31-year-old Oscar Velez of 40 Nelson St., had been in police custody Feb. 22 after being found with a small amount of cocaine, police said.
Stamford Police Lt. Timothy Shaw said Velez was apprehended by a patrol officer, handcuffed and put in the back of a cruiser early that morning.
Officers had been summoned to an accident near the Interstate 95 ramp at Courtland Avenue, so a state police trooper was also called to the scene, Shaw said.
While the officer was speaking to the trooper, someone -- apparently a friend -- let Velez out of the police cruiser, allowing Velez to run away, Shaw said.
A police dog called to the scene could not find Velez.
Velez managed to elude police for more than a week, but just before noon Thursday, Shaw said an officer who knew Velez saw him getting into a car on East Main Street.
Police pulled Velez over and arrested him on a warrant charging him with escape from custody, possession of narcotics, interfering with an officer and sixth-degree larceny.
He is being held in lieu of $75,000 bond and will be arraigned Friday at state Superior Court in Stamford.
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