Alleged sobriety checkpoint crasher arrested

The man accused of plowing a police cruiser several hundred feet down the Post Road with his friend's car has turned himself in to police.

Juan Alexander Toj, 23, of Bridgeport, was arrested Tuesday at 2 p.m. and charged with reckless endangerment, interfering with an officer, driving under the influence and failure to drive right.

The incident occurred just after midnight Thanksgiving morning, police said, when a Toyota Camry slammed into a police car parked at a sobriety checkpoint on the Post Road, near the intersection with North Benson Road.

Officers were in the process of pulling the car's driver -- Steven Peterson, 22, of Bridgeport, who was subsequently charged with DUI and failure to drive right -- from the front seat when the engine screamed again and the car lurched forward, police said. Toj, whom officers reportedly had not seen in the front passenger seat, was reaching his foot to the gas pedal, police said, and he hurtled both cars across the intersection.

The cruiser came to rest in front of Joe's American Bar & Grill, 750 Post Road, police said. But the Camry reportedly cut right, crossed double-yellow lines and rammed another car head on.

Afterward, Toj was taken to the hospital, forcing police to file warrants to bring forth charges.

"This individual -- in fact, this entire incident -- demonstrates just how dangerous it is when a drunk driver gets behind the wheel," Sgt. James Perez said. "Here we have a situation where several police cars had their lights on, so there was plenty of warning, and yet these individuals failed to see these warnings."

The incident could have turned ghastly, Perez added, as several police officers were walking around the street at the checkpoint. "We're just grateful that no officers were struck and that no citizens were hurt," he said. "And we're glad to send a signal that this type of behavior will not be tolerated."

Toj was held on $50,000 bond and will appear in court on Feb. 16.