Crime & Safety

Fleeing Suspect Suffers the 'Wrath of Kahn,' Stratford's K-9

West Haven man tasered twice before finally being subdued after traffic stop. One Stratford officer slightly injured in tussle that included a bite from police K-9, Kahn.

On May 14, police were patrolling on Lordship Boulevard conducting routine checks of vehicle registrations when a Ford Windstar bearing Maine plates came back that the plates belonged on another vehicle.

By the time Stratford police caught up with the vehicle, it had crossed into Bridgeport. The vehicle turned left onto Orange Street before it was pulled over at the intersection of Union Avenue.

Police exited their vehicle and approached the operator, later identified as Raul Quiles, 41, of West Haven, and asked him for his vehicle paperwork. There was a second person in the car in the passenger said, police said.

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Quiles could not find any registration information and told police it was not his vehicle and that he would have to call his boss, holding up a cell phone for police to see. Police said that he did not have to call anyone and asked Quiles to exit the vehicle, which he did.

Once outside the vehicle, police asked him to turn around and face the vehicle in order to undergo a pat down, after which he would be held in the patrol car until the misuse of plates investigation was completed on the scene.

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At that point, Quiles turned around, police said, and quickly threw a metal object under the vehicle. The officer then grabbed Quiles by his arms and told him to put his hands behind his back.

Instead, Quiles pulled away from the officer’s grasp, turned around and took a step back. At that point, the officer removed his department issued taser from its holster and told Quiles that if he did not get on the ground then he would be tased.

Quiles did not comply with the verbal command to get on the ground and kept saying that he did not understand what was going on. He did finally lay on the ground. At that point, police called for additional backup.

Quiles was then instructed to raise his right arm in the air in an attempt to handcuff him. But as he did so, he pushed the officer causing him to stumble backward and then ran toward the front of the vehicle.

The officer ran after him and deployed his taser, with the prongs hitting Quiles in the back and left side. Quiles then fell to the ground and was tased for five seconds, police said.

Police then called for an ambulance to be dispatched to the scene.

Meanwhile, the passenger in the vehicle was instructed to stay put, which he did for the time being, police said. Quiles then got up and tried to run again, and was tased for five more seconds and fell to the ground again.

Once the taser cycle ended, Quiles ignored police commands to stay on the ground, removed one of the prongs and started running westerly on Orange Street. Police attempted to stun him but was unsuccessful, and then pursued him on foot.

Dispatch was advised of the situation and asked to contact Bridgeport police for their assistance, as area residents began to gather outside their homes. As Quiles was attempting to elude capture, he ran into traffic and was stopped along the passenger side of a parked vehicle.

He was again ordered to stop, but instead climbed up a retaining wall and ran into a wooded area adjacent to I-95. The officer caught up with him, grabbed him by his shirt and pant leg, but Quiles broke free and ran off again along a wooden barrier along I-95.

At about this time, backup police arrived, who tackled Quiles to the ground as Quiles continued to resist arrest. At one point, Quiles reached for one of the officer’s tasers, which was secured in its holster.

At that point, the officer struck Quiles on the right side of his head twice with his right fist, yelling, “Stop resisting. Put your hands behind your back.”

The two officers finally gained control of Quiles and lowered him from the top of the retaining wall to the sidewalk where several other officers including the K-9 officer and his dog “Khan” were waiting.

Once on the ground, Quiles began squirming when Khan bit Quiles in the right forearm, causing “superficial” bite marks, police said. Officers were then able to handcuff Quiles.

Back at the vehicle, at some point during the pursuit, the passenger ran off. He was described as a Hispanic male in his late 30s or early 40s, thin build, curly hair and wearing eyeglasses. Bridgeport police tried to track him with their K-9 dog with no success.

The officers recovered a fold-up knife under the Windstar, with a blade less than four inches, which was discarded by police.

Quiles was then taken to Bridgeport Hospital where he was treated for his injuries, including scrapes and cuts, and then was discharged.

One Stratford officer was also treated at Bridgeport Hospital for scratches sustained while in pursuit adn released.

A check showed that Quiles had a suspended driver’s license, with the Windstar registration cancelled since 2008.

The vehicle was towed and Quiles was taken to headquarters where he was charged with misuse of plates, operating with a suspended driver’s license, no insurance, no registration and interfering with police.

His bond was set at $10,000 and court scheduled for May 25. Police added that Quiles showed 10 previous arrests with “six pages” of motor vehicle related infractions.


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