Officers hurt in struggle with Derby man

Written by Susan Hunter
Friday, 06 November 2009 10:36

Two Ansonia police officers were injured Friday in a struggle with a Derby man who was subsequently arrested and charged with assault on a police officer and interfering with an officer.

State Police also arrested him on multiple charges.

Jermaine Gibson, 34, was scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Nov. 9 and was released to the custody of the Connecticut State Police on a $10,000 bond, said Ansonia Police Lt. Andrew Cota.

The incident started around 11:40 p.m. Friday when Ansonia police officers were advised that a vehicle pursuit was underway involving State Police on Route 8, and the vehicle was exiting the highway in Derby near Exit 15.

State Police officers had observed Gibson driving erratically on Route 8 northbound, south of Exit 11 in Trumbull, according to State Police at Troop G in Bridgeport. When they tried to stop him, he engaged them in pursuit at speeds up to 100 mph.

Gibson ran over stop sticks at Exit 14 in Shelton and then crashed his vehicle off Exit 17 near the Ansonia/Derby line.

Ansonia officers learned that the vehicle had crashed near the rear of Griffin Hospital, and the occupants fled on foot, Cota said.

Shortly thereafter, Gibson, who fit the description given by State Police, was found on Seymour Avenue, and an Ansonia officer approached him.

“The officer stopped to speak with him and noticed that he had grass stains and blood on his clothing,” Cota said. “When he was asked where he was coming from, he began to run from the officer.”

Officers chased him and caught up to him on Rutland Street. A struggle ensued, and two officers were injured and treated at the hospital, Cota said. They sustained cuts and bruises and hand injuries.

Gibson was treated for minor injuries at Griffin Hospital where he failed field sobriety tests. He was eventually taken into custody.

Police said he had been arrested six times previously on DUI charges, and his driver’s license had been suspended in December 2007, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The other occupant of the vehicle wasn’t found or arrested in Ansonia, Cota said.

State Police charged Gibson with driving with a suspended license, reckless driving, disobeying the signal of an officer, evading physical injury or property damage, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and failure to drive in the proper lane on a multi-lane highway.