Carjacking in Wolcott leads to arrest in Bristol

It started with a carjacking in Wolcott, and ended with an attempted carjacking in Bristol before Bristol police arrested a Naugatuck man on a flurry of charges.
Bristol police reported that Friday morning, at about 10:45 a.m., they were alerted by Wolcott police of a carjacking in Wolcott. Wolcott officers told Bristol that they were looking for a black Nissan Rogue traveling at a high rate of speed along Route 69 toward Bristol.
Bristol police spotted the vehicle on North Main Street, when the suspect drove the vehicle off in in a northerly direction on North Main Street. The vehicle eventually left the roadway and crashed into some shrubbery near North Main and Curtis Street.
Bristol police said the suspect fled the Nissan and engaged officers on a footpursuit through backyards along North Main Street.
Police said a resident at 24 Roberts St. was backing his van out of his driveway on his way to work, when encountered by the suspect. Police said, while the vehicle was moving backwards in the driveway, the suspect engaged in a fight with the operator of the van in an attempt to carjack the operator’s vehicle. Police said the operator, and his wife, successfully fought off the suspect, all while the vehicle was in motion. Police said the wife was able to reach inside the vehicle, depressing the brake pedal with her hand to protect herself from being run over.
Police took the suspect into custody at 24 Roberts St.
Both the husband and wife received minor injuries and refused medical attention at the scene.
Officers arrested Shawn M. Smith, 24, of 6 Webb Rd., Naugatuck and charged him with unreasonable speed, a stop sign violation, making an improper turn, and evading of responsibility for the motor vehicle accident at North Main and Curtis. On those charges, he was held on a $2,500.
Additionally, Smith was charged with criminal attempt to carjack, breach of peace in the second degree, two counts of assault in the third degree, and reckless endangerment in the first degree. For the criminal charges, Smith is being held on a $$100,000 surety bond. Police said he is being held for arraignment in Bristol Superior Court on Monday.