Belleville officer-involved shooting launches tri-state investigation
Police say the suspect struck a Belleville officer with his car during a traffic stop, then fled to his Connecticut hometown.
More Stories
An officer-involved shooting in New Jersey on Sunday led to a tri-state investigation overnight.
Prosecutors say the suspect struck an officer with his car during a traffic stop on Mill Street and Union Avenue in Belleville. The officer fired his gun, and the suspect drove off. That suspect was arrested in Connecticut early Monday morning.
“It is a reality, unfortunately, in law enforcement, that you have bad people out there who are willing to do anything to get away from justice," said Belleville Mayor Frank Vélez.
The traffic stop happened about 7:45 Sunday night near Branch Brook Park. Belleville Police say the stop was for a car with fake Connecticut plates. They say the suspect ran into the officer, throwing him onto the hood of the suspect’s BMW. Then, the officer fired his gun.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office says no one was hit by the gunfire.
Belleville Police say the BMW was found abandoned in Katonah, New York. Connecticut State Police arrested 22-year-old Damien Sulewski of New Britain, Connecticut, at a gas station around 1:30 a.m. Monday. New Britain is more than 100 miles north of Belleville.
The New Jersey State PBA president told News 12 the officers have been released from the hospital. He believes the officer was justified in firing his gun.
“Drove at the officer and hit him - struck him - so right there, he is justified to use deadly force because his life is in danger," said Peter Andreyev, president of the New Jersey State PBA. "And also trying to protect the other officers that may have been on-scene.”
“We are always in support of our law enforcement," said Vélez. "When one of us is attacked, all of us are attacked.”
Sulewski faces aggravated assault, eluding and weapons charges. He’s being held in Connecticut on $500,000 bail.
