• Home
  • :
  • :
  • Member Center
  • :
  • Make This Your Home Page




Rhode Island news

Search Legal Notices

Westerly officer shoots at suspect fleeing scene

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, May 17, 2008

A Westerly police officer was struck by a car allegedly driven by a suspect who was trying to escape the scene of a crime.

A statement released by the Westerly Police Department said the police were called Thursday to the Backtrack Bar and Grille, on Industrial Drive, for an assault involving three males.

When the police arrived, one of the three took off in a vehicle, hitting Cpl. Larry Silvestri, who fired one round at the suspect, according to the police statement.

Silvestri was not able to stop the suspect, who drove off and was later spotted and stopped by the police in Pawcatuck, Conn.

The suspect was not injured by Silvestri’s shot, the Westerly police say, and he was taken to Stonington police headquarters, where he was charged with driving while intoxicated. The suspect also faces fugitive charges in Rhode Island.

Silvestri was treated for minor injuries at Westerly Hospital and released. The other two males involved in the assault at Backtrack Bar and Grille were treated for serious injuries, according to the police statement.

The incident is still under investigation by the Westerly Police and the Rhode Island attorney general.