A 19-year-old Glastonbury man is facing charges after police allege that he intentionally tried to run people over with his car after getting into a fight in New Haven.
Brayden Chance was charged with two counts of first-degree criminal attempt to commit assault, two counts of second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, reckless driving and third-degree criminal mischief and is being held on a $350,000 bond, according to the New Haven Police Department.
Police allege that the incident started with an altercation between Chance and a 22-year-old West Haven man at the Rumaj Nightclub, located at 216 Crown St. on April 19. Officers in the area saw the two men fighting outside the nightclub around 1:25 p.m. and later determined both men were arguing inside when the fight began, police said.
According to police, officers believed that Hay was the aggressor and threw the first punch. He was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
Around 20 minutes later, police said they received numerous reports of a person being hit by a car on College Street by the entrance to the parking garage.
Officers located an injured 20-year-old Milford woman who was transported to Yale New Haven Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. Police said the woman had no connection with Chance or Hay.
Video obtained by police from bystanders showed a black Mercedes driving on College Street that appeared to intentionally drive at people standing on the sidewalk, according to police. In the video, the driver of the vehicle, who was later identified as Chance, allegedly struck another vehicle before backing up and attempting to hit more people, police said.
Police believe Chance was leaving the area when he allegedly saw a group of people who were with Hay and attempted to hit them with his car. Police were unsuccessful in locating Chance following the incident. However, they said they were able to determine that he was the driver and secured an arrest warrant for him.
Chance turned himself in to police on Thursday, according to police.
“This incident goes far beyond what we normally see in the entertainment district and is completely unacceptable,” New Haven Police Chief David Zannelli said in a statement. “I want to commend the officers who worked quickly, first to render aid to the injured woman during a chaotic scene, then taking the offender into custody within days, as well as the community for assisting us with the investigation. We are deploying additional officers to our downtown area for bar detail and while we encourage people to come enjoy our downtown night life responsibly, we are not going to tolerate any criminal behavior.”
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com.
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