Trooper’s use of deadly force in PIT maneuver was unjustified, Conn. inspector general rules

By Greg Smith
The Day, New London, Conn.

MONTVILLE, Conn. — The state’s inspector general has found that a Montville state trooper’s use of deadly force when he rammed a fleeing vehicle multiple times was “not justified” but has declined to pursue criminal charges against the trooper.

Inspector General Eliot Prescott on Thursday released a report concerning an incident on Nov. 24, 2025, when State Trooper Wilfred J. Blanchette IV was involved in a high-speed pursuit of a Honda Accord with two occupants that began at 11:35 p.m. on Route 2A in Montville.

Reports show the chase involving multiple state troopers continued onto Interstate 395 north through Norwich and ended on Route 2 in Colchester when Blanchette, with his sergeant’s permission, used a “pursuit intervention technique,” or PIT maneuver, intentionally striking the fleeing car multiple times in an attempt to spin it out of control and stop it.

Blanchette believed that the driver of the Accord was impaired and that the car was likely stolen, according to the report. The Accord had reached speeds of 120 mph while fleeing, and police at one point had deployed stop sticks to slow the car. The stop sticks blew out one tire of the Accord but the driver, Jesus Santiago, of Manchester, continued to flee, reports show.

Blanchette had radioed to his sergeant for “permission to ram this thing,” and when he was granted permission, Blanchette hit the vehicle from the rear, video shows. When the Accord didn’t stop, Blanchette hit it again while traveling at 76 mph. The Accord, after being rammed three times, eventually crashed into the center median, and Santiago and passenger Tyloine Reddick were arrested. Santiago and Reddick were not injured.

Prescott determined that the intentional collisions constituted deadly force and that there was not reasonable justification for the “poorly executed PIT or ram” based on the circumstances.

“The critical inquiry in this case is whether the officer’s use of deadly physical force was objectively reasonable and therefore legally justified under the totality of the circumstances,” Prescott wrote in his report.

“Trooper Blanchette’s actions were not objectively reasonable as a whole. It was also not objectively reasonable for W. Blanchette to believe, at the time that he used deadly physical force, that the Accord posed an imminent risk of death or serious physical injury to other motorists or the public,” Prescott wrote.

Declining prosecution

Although Prescott determined the use of deadly force was not legally justified, he said in his report that he exercised his “prosecutorial discretion” in not pursuing criminal charges.

“I am unaware of any prior criminal prosecutions in Connecticut against an officer for the unjustified use of deadly physical force by way of a forced stop procedure,” Prescott wrote. “The lack of clearer guidance as to what prosecutors and judges will consider to be deadly physical force in this context militates against a prosecution in this case.”

Prescott suggested in his report that the Police Officer Standards and Training Council and other law enforcement agencies consider making revisions and clarifications to the pursuit policies.

“Finally, I am confident that the CSP will decide what administrative sanctions should be imposed regarding this incident after considering this report and conducting an internal affairs investigation,” Prescott wrote.

It is unclear whether an internal investigation into the matter is pending. Blanchette was initially placed on administrative duty, and the state police union issued a statement criticizing the investigation. A state police spokesperson was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

State police charged Santiago with first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, interfering with a police officer/resisting arrest, tampering with evidence, possession of a controlled substance, use of drug paraphernalia, failure to drive in the proper lane, driving without minimum insurance, improper use of markers and driving an unregistered motor vehicle. He is being held on a $250,000 bond at the Corrigan Correctional Center and is scheduled to appear in Norwich Superior Court on July 22.

Reddick was charged with interfering with a police officer/resisting arrest, tampering with evidence, possession of a controlled substance, sale of narcotics and use of drug paraphernalia. He is free on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear again in Norwich Superior Court on July 28.

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