A Bristol man with a 28-page criminal history allegedly injured two police officers and struck at least three cars during a brief pursuit Wednesday night that started after police said they found him drunk outside an adult book store.
Bristol Township patrol officers Tom Polistina and Tom Phillips were briefly hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries after they were struck by a car driven by Kyle Romanowski, 42, of Cleveland Street, as he attempted to escape.
The officers were discharged Thursday and both are recovering at home, police said.
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| Kyle Romanowski |
“No one was seriously injured. That is a miracle in itself the way that car was flying,” Lt. Terry Hughes said.
Township police say Romanowski was overheard saying after he was arrested that he had smoked cocaine and drank alcohol after learning his girlfriend had cheated on him.
Romanowski, dressed in a hospital gown with obvious facial injuries, was arraigned Thursday morning on multiple counts of aggravated assault, resisting arrest, fleeing and eluding police, recklessly endangering another person and related charges. Bristol Township Judge Joanne Kline set bail at 10 percent of $2 million bail.
Police found Romanowski, allegedly intoxicated, standing outside the Fantasy Adult Book Store in the 800 block of Veterans Highway about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Officers were responding to a report of a man in a car drinking Four Loco, an alcoholic drink.
The officers told Romanowski he needed to call someone to pick him up or he’d be arrested for public intoxication, and they allowed him to look for his cellphone in his car.
When the suspect couldn’t find the phone, he became uncooperative with police, according to a probable cause affidavit. The officers ordered him to get out of his car, but he ignored the commands.
Romanowski allegedly held onto the steering wheel and grabbed the open driver’s side door and tried to close it on two officers, police said. Then he managed to start the car. An officer deployed a stun gun that struck Romanowski on the left shoulder, but it didn’t work.
The suspect shifted the car into reverse and “floored” the accelerator, police said.
The open car door hit Polistina, injuring his hand, police said. The open driver’s side door trapped Phillips, though, and the car dragged him “violently” about 10 feet until the driver struck a patrol car parked behind him. Officer Phillips struck the passenger side of the patrol car, causing him to flip over the car and land on the ground, police said.
Meanwhile, Romanowski continued driving without his headlights, speeding south on Veterans Highway, police said.
A police pursuit began with officers from neighboring Bristol joining in when the suspect entered the borough. Romanowski drove through stop signs and red lights and the wrong way down one-way streets, police said. He continued driving after the airbags were deployed.
During the pursuit through Bristol, Romanowski struck road signs and jumped curbs and at one point was driving on two rims, police said.
During the eight minute-long pursuit, Romanowski allegedly crashed into a car — where a toddler was a passenger — at Otter Street and Route 413, but continued driving. He was arrested after he struck at least one other car with two people inside on Route 13 at Green Lane.
No one involved in the other accidents had any immediately apparent injuries, police said.
After he was taken into custody, police say Romanowski continued to resist and fight with police officers. He was taken to an unidentified hospital to have blood drawn for testing.
Romanowski has a suspended driver’s license, multiple felony arrests and a conviction for fleeing and eluding police, according to authorities.
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181; email: jciavaglia@calkins.com; Twitter: @jociavaglia
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