BERLIN — Berlin Police officers responded to a report of masked individuals attempting to break into vehicles at a local auto dealership on Aug. 16.
Responding officers quickly located a suspect vehicle at another dealership north of the original scene.
As officers attempted to stop the suspects, the vehicle rammed a police cruiser before fleeing at a high rate of speed.
The suspects drove recklessly, reversing down the Berlin Turnpike, before crashing into a utility pole.
One suspect fled on foot while the driver continued southbound in the northbound lanes, ultimately abandoning the vehicle in a nearby parking lot.
The driver then ran into a wooded area.
Officers located and arrested Andrew Bailey, age 34, who was determined to have been the passenger in the suspect vehicle.
The driver remains outstanding.
The abandoned vehicle, which had significant damage, was found to contain multiple stolen tires and rims.
At the original scene, a vehicle on the lot had been damaged during the suspects’ attempt to remove rims and force entry.
Bailey, a convicted felon on the deadly weapons registry, was uncooperative while at the police department and attempted to flood his holding cell.
He was charged with numerous criminal offenses and was held on a $50,000 surety bond.
This is the fourth Berlin Police cruiser to be rammed by a fleeing suspect in a short period of time.
The case remains under investigation.
