Stamford Officer Critically Injured During Chase

STAMFORD, Conn. — A Stamford police officer was critically injured after falling from a bridge abutment adjacent to the I-95 Exit 14 ramp in Norwalk during a foot chase that took place after 1 a.m. Thursday, a police statement said.

Officer Troy Strauser, 38, was out of surgery and in the intensive care unit at Norwalk Hospital on Thursday morning. Strauser is a married father of three and a six-year veteran of the Stamford Police Department. 

During the chase on the Reed Street bridge above I-95, a robbery suspect jumped into a wooded area near the abutment and made his way down to the highway, the statement said. 

Strauser was unable to see the edge of the structure and dropped 20 feet, landing face down. Lisa Cotto of the Norwalk Police Department said he was bleeding heavily and had injured his arm.

The suspect was confronted by Norwalk and Stamford police on the other side of the highway, where, police say, he assaulted and choked a Stamford Police canine before being arrested. He was then transported to Stamford Hospital for treatment and is being held by Stamford police, the release said.

The incident began in Stamford shortly after 1 a.m. when a report came in of two men beating and robbing another near West Main and Diaz streets, the statement said. While escorting the ambulance with the victim to the hospital, police saw a white BMW matching the description given in the call and pursued it, the statement said.

The victim’s wallet was reported missing, and the victim was unable to provide details of the incident because he needed medical treatment, the statement said.

The pursuit took officers onto I-95 before the suspect got off at Exit 9 and continued on the Post Road into Darien before getting back on the highway. Two of the BMW's tires were damaged driving over stop spikes, the statement said. The vehicle then crashed, attempting to get off the highway at Exit 14, and the foot pursuit began, the statement said.

Frank Douglas, 30, of 43 Lincoln Ave., in Norwalk, was arrested and charged with second-degree robbery, assault on a police officer, cruelty to animals, interfering with a police officer, engaging in a pursuit, and multiple motor vehicle charges. His bond has been set at $500,000.

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