Police: Wanted man arrested after East Providence crash

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A man wanted by police for reportedly passing bad checks in several communities was arrested after crashing his car Friday in East Providence.

Seekonk Police Captain Matt Jardine said officers responded to the Santander Bank on Taunton Avenue for reports of a man trying to cash fraudulent checks.

Jardine said the suspect, who has not been identified, rushed out of the bank right as the first officer arrived.

“He knew the police were there for him,” Jardine said, adding that he hit the officer as he was running out of the bank.

Jardine said the officer ran after the suspect and confronted him as he was trying to get into a car in the parking lot.

Following a brief struggle, Jardine said the suspect backed the car into the officer before speeding off.

“She was unable to get him out of the car and he was able to drive away,” Jardine said.

(Story continues below video.)

Officers briefly chased the suspect’s vehicle down Fall River Avenue before losing sight of him, according to Jardine. The suspect later crashed into a tree near the intersection of Pawtucket and Kenton avenues in East Providence.

Jardine said the suspect took off running but was soon found hiding in the backyard of a Haliburton Road home.

The suspect was arrested and will be charged as a fugitive from justice out of Massachusetts. East Providence police said he is also being charged with malicious injury to property for breaking a neighbor’s fence during his attempted escape.

In Seekonk, Jardine said the suspect will be charged with felony assault on an officer, eluding an officer and fraud.

The officer that the suspect backed into in the bank parking lot was not injured, according to Jardine.

“This person is a violent individual,” Jardine said. “He certainly didn’t want to go to jail.”

“It just kind of shows that, as a police officer, you never really quite know what kind of call you’re going to,” he continued. “It wasn’t initially a violent crime.”

Jardine said officers have not positively identified the suspect yet.