A state police cruiser was involved in a crash on Interstate 91 northbound in Hartford Friday night while transporting a prisoner.
The crash happened near exit 33 for Jennings Road in Hartford at about 9:30 p.m and according to state police, a trooper from Troop K in Colchester was transporting prisoner Chad L. Nadeau, 24, to the Hartford Correctional Center when the prisoner freed himself from handcuffs, assaulted the state trooper driving and forced the vehicle to crash into the center median on the highway. Nadeau, who had been arrested after an incident in Andover, Connecticut, fled from the vehicle on foot into a wooded area near the crash site and was soon apprehended by Hartford police
State police said the trooper and Nadeau sustained only minor injuries from the crash.
In addition to the charges from Nadeau was facing, he now also faces new charges of escape, assaulting a police officer and interfering with an investigation.
Nadeau was held in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 8.
According to the Department of Transportation, two lanes of the highway were blocked off between exits 33 and 32a following the accident, and traffic was delayed in the area.
