FAIRFIELD — Two Fairfield Police officers were injured on Sept. 24 during a pursuit and subsequent arrest of two shoplifting suspects with active arrest warrants.
The suspects, identified as Amanda Belcher and James Coates, were apprehended after attempting to steal over $1,200 in merchandise from Home Depot.
The incident began around 7:35 p.m. at the Home Depot on Kings Highway Cutoff when loss prevention recognized Belcher and Coates, who had previously been banned from the store.
The Fairfield County Regional Dispatch Center confirmed the suspects had multiple active warrants from various jurisdictions.
When officers arrived, they saw the suspects trying to leave with stolen items.
Belcher fled on foot, entering a vehicle and dragging an officer in her attempt to escape, which resulted in a collision with another car.
During the struggle, the officer’s cellphone and name patch were taken by Belcher.
She was later located by detectives and the Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force at the Sunnyside Hotel in Bridgeport and taken into custody at 8:58 p.m.
Coates was found hiding in a resident’s backyard and resisted arrest.
Officers deployed a Taser to safely detain him.
Both suspects were charged with multiple offenses, including assault of a public safety personnel for Belcher and conspiracy to commit larceny for Coates.
They were held on bonds of $75,000 and $10,000, respectively.
Belcher faced additional charges on several warrants, including violation of probation and larceny.
Coates was also charged on several warrants for probation violation and larceny.
Both were assigned court dates in October at Bridgeport Superior Court.
