Police officer killed on duty as teen ‘runs 2 red lights and rams cop car’
A police[1] officer has been after a teenage driver tried to flee a traffic stop, ran two red lights and crashed into a police car[2] in Hartford, Connecticut.
The police officer, identified as Officer Robert "Bobby" Garten, aged 34 and an eight-year veteran of the force, has tragically died after a driver fleeing a traffic stop struck a police cruiser late on Wednesday night. Another officer, Officer Kearney, was seriously injured in the crash but is hospitalised[3] in stable condition.
The incident occurred when Hartford police officers attempted to stop a Honda Accord with a cancelled registration on Broad Street after the driver disregarded a traffic signal.
Officer Robert "Bobby" Garten, a beloved eight-year veteran, died tragically in the collision
The driver is an 18-year-old 11th-grade student, identified as Richard Barrington, a resident of Hartford. The police officers had initially pulled over Barrington for disobeying a traffic signal and discovered that the car's registration had been cancelled when they checked his license plate.
The collision occurred when Barrington tried to flee the traffic stop, ran two red lights, and collided with the police cruiser, which had its emergency lights and siren activated.
After being treated at a hospital and discharged, he was arrested and charged with multiple offences, including failure to obey a traffic control signal, failure to renew registration, misuse of plates, and interfering with police.
Richard Barrington, 18, fled a traffic stop, leading to the fatal crash with police
His bond was set at $1 million. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont has ordered US and state flags in the state to be lowered to half-staff in honour of Officer Garten.
Officer Garten, who tragically died as a result of the crash, reportedly grew up in Wethersfield and had a strong connection to Hartford, attending NHL hockey games as a child and minor league baseball games as an adult. He had served in the street crimes unit of the Hartford Police Department, focusing on gun violence and firearms removal, before his tragic death.
Flags in Connecticut were lowered to half-staff in honor of Officer Garten's memory
Mayor Luke Bronin said at a news conference Thursday, per Times Union[4]: "This is a devastating loss for our community, for our department and our whole city is grieving this morning. Bobby loved this city. ... He served this city with courage and compassion and tremendous skill and dedication."
Police Chief Jason Thody said of the deceased: "I think if you ask anybody in the police department about him, they’ll say he was the guy that was always smiling. Really loved the work when he got on the job. Was one of those officers that really wanted to excel and do different things. ... He was a great man."
Funeral arrangements for Officer Garten were not immediately disclosed following the incident (
NBC Connecticut)
State police are currently conducting an investigation into the crash. Funeral arrangements for Officer Garten have not been announced as of yet. We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and videos on this breaking news story.
References
- ^ police (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ crashed into a police car (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ hospitalised (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Times Union (www.timesunion.com)