Massachusetts Man Arraigned on Attempted Murder of Westchester Police Officer
The suspect charged in the attempted murder of a Westchester County Police Officer was remanded to the Westchester County Jail Monday following his arraignment in New Rochelle City Court.
Kevin Santos, 22, of Springfield, Mass., was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on multiple felony charges, including: Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Degree and 3rd Degree (Intent to Sell) and Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree. He is due back in city court June 24.
Santos was arrested after he drove off at high speed as a County police officer was partially inside his car and attempting to take him into custody. The officer was able to climb inside Santos’ Honda Accord to avoid being dragged and a struggle occurred as the vehicle reached speeds of up to 60 mph.
The driver’s front door remained open during the harrowing incident. Santos is accused of swerving across both lanes of the highway and on to the shoulder, accelerating and then braking hard, in an apparent effort to eject the officer from the car.
The struggle continued for three-quarters of a mile, when the officer was able to bring the car to a halt. The suspect vehicle was then boxed in by a county police patrol car as the driver attempted to take off again.
Following the incident, the Honda was impounded and towed back to county police headquarters in Hawthorne, where 9,000 glassine envelopes of heroin were discovered inside the car. The narcotics were found in a bag on the floor of the front passenger side of the car.
“The actions of this driver put our officer in grave danger,” Commissioner Thomas A. Gleason said. “It is fortunate that he was not seriously injured or killed.”
The incident began about 11:30 a.m. Monday when the officer pulled over the Honda for a traffic violation on the northbound Hutch at North Avenue in New Rochelle. After determining that the driver did not have a valid license, the officer asked him to step out of the car. The driver initially complied but then jumped back into the Honda and the struggle ensued.
