Hartford police arrest 2 suspects after highway chase
Two young men who led Hartford and state police on a dramatic high-speed chase this week appeared Friday in Superior Court in Hartford on a series of evading police and weapons charges.
Ty-Jeir McCray, 18, and Travis Roberts, 21, were both captured after the car they fled in was disabled by a stop stick, smashed into a Hartford police cruiser and both fled into the Asylum Hill neighborhood where they crashed, police records show.
Roberts is accused of ditching a firearm he ran, which was later recovered, and was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit and interfering with an officer. McCray was charged with eight offenses related to the pursuit and carrying a weapon without a permit.
Police initially tried to stop the car at about 2:40 p.m. Thursday because it is the suspect vehicle involved in a recent homicide, but the car instead fled from Park Street toward westbound Interstate 84, police reports show.
As many as a dozen police vehicles joined the chase the car continued onto Route 9 before doubling back to I-84 east and back into Hartford, where the lead Hartford police officers’ vehicle was disabled by a stop stick put down by a state police trooper as the suspect vehicle fled into the North End, police reports show.
Another Hartford officer successfully deployed a stop stick in the area and car continued to Huntington Street, where it struck parked cars and finally came to a stop.
McCray and Roberts ran from the car and officers gave chase on foot, ultimately locating McCray in a nearby apartment building and Roberts one street over from the crash, reports show.
A black Hi-Point 9mm pistol Roberts ditched during the chase was located nearby loaded with 10 live rounds and was secured as evidence.
McCray and Roberts both appeared in court Friday morning where prosecutors warned both could present a danger to the community because of the severity of the chase Thursday and their efforts to elude police. Both also have a series of pending felony larceny cases Roberts has several drug charges, court officials said.
Defense attorney Bill Gerace filed to represent McCray and told the court the teen has been living with his father in Hartford that is when the “trouble started.” He asked that should McCray post bond, he be ordered to live with his mother, who was present in the courtroom, in Vernon.
McCray was ordered held on $50,000 bond and that he be fitted with 24/7 GPS monitoring should he post bond, but it was not immediately clear Friday afternoon if he had been released.
Roberts was ordered held on $200,000 bond and given similar stipulations about GPS monitoring should he post that amount, but he remained in custody Friday.
The crashed vehicle that police said is connected to a recent homicide was towed to the crime scene division’s impound lot after the crash, but police declined to release any additional details about that case Friday. The homicide investigation is ongoing.
Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com. Zach Murdock can be reached at zmurdock@courant.com.
