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Police Pursuit Of Car With Child Aboard Ends With Crash On I-84 In Newtown

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- A Danbury woman driving with a 4-year-old child in her car led police on a chase through Southbury Thursday night that ended when she crashed into a police cruiser and a tractor trailer in Newtown, according to state police.

Connecticut State Police said a woman trying to flee from officers with a child in her car crashed into a cruiser and a tractor trailer

Connecticut State Police said a woman trying to flee from officers with a child in her car crashed into a cruiser and a tractor trailer

Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

The woman and the child passenger were taken to Danbury Hospital and charges are pending, state police said.

At around 9:10 p.m. police in Southbury were dispatched to a possible vehicle in a snowbank on Southford Road. When Southbury officers arrived and freed the car from the snow, the driver, later identified as 34-year-old Yavonda Bradley of Danbury, drove away at a high rate of speed, according to state police.

Bradley engaged Southbury officers in a pursuit on Route 67 in Southbury, but the pursuit was broken off when police realized there was a child in the vehicle, and the driver had been identified, police said.

About five minutes later, her car was spotted driving north on Route 67 and started to merge onto I-84 east at exit 15, entering the highway in the wrong direction, police said. Bradley then corrected herself, came down the ramp and entered I-84 westbound at exit 15 the right way, according to police.

Three Southbury officers followed Bradley onto I-84, and were joined by a Connecticut State Police cruiser, but were not pursuing the vehicle, police said.

Bradley then sped up and struck a Southbury Officer John Jaskolka's cruiser on the passenger side, police said. She then lost control of her car and struck the rear of a tractor trailer. The accident occurred on I-84 near exit 11. Bradley and the child were taken to the hospital, and the incident is under investigation.

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