On Sunday, 11/17/24 at approximately 2:34 AM, Troop H- Hartford received notification of a wrong-way detection alert at the Governor's St off ramp from I-84 westbound in East Hartford. Utilizing DOT cameras, Troop H dispatch personnel confirmed the presence of the wrong-way driver and identified the vehicle as a white SUV with significant front-end damage. Additionally, they observed at least one motorist swerving to avoid a direct head-on collision.
Troopers quickly responded to the area and within approximately one minute, observed a white Lexus RX 450 traveling the wrong way on the Pitkin Street entrance ramp from I-84 eastbound. Troopers intercepted the vehicle and successfully brought it to a complete stop without further incident.
Once the vehicle was safely stopped, Troopers observed it had sustained significant front-end damage and was actively smoking and leaking fluids, indicating it had likely collided with an object before coming to a stop. East Hartford officers assisted with the investigation by canvassing the area along the vehicle's route in search of any damaged objects with no findings. Additionally, Troopers noted dark tinted plate covers on the vehicle that obscured the registration, as well as an illegally tinted front windshield. Troopers then approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, identified as Angel Luis Sanabria (DOB: 06/22/1983), of Hartford. During their interaction, Sanabria struggled to speak coherently and had difficulty following simple instructions. Troopers observed that Sanabria was seated over the latched seat belt, which was locked in position, further indicating the vehicle had been involved in a collision. As they assisted him out of the vehicle, Sanabria continued to struggle with maintaining his balance. During the on-scene investigation, Troopers noticed a bundle of wax folds containing an unknown substance on the driver’s side floorboard, in plain view. The substance field-tested positive for fentanyl, and the narcotics were seized and later submitted as evidence. Based on Sanabria’s signs of impairment, Standardized Field Sobriety Testing (SFST's) were postponed and Sanabria was immediately transported to Troop H for processing. During transport, Sanabria became increasingly verbally aggressive.
Once in the Troop H processing area, Sanabria was asked to conduct the SFST's, to which he willingly agreed to perform. Sanabria ultimately failed to perform the testing to standard. A chemical testing of Sanabria's breath revealed that his blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit. During arrest processing, Sanabria told Troopers that he did not realize he was traveling the wrong way on the highway. Sanabria was charged with the following violations:
C.G.S. 14-99f(b); Windshield Obstructing View
C.G.S. 14-100a(c)(1); Failure to Wear Safety Seat Belt
C.G.S. 14-18(a); Failure to Display Registration Plates
C.G.S. 14-222; Reckless Driving
C.G.S. 14-227a; Illegal Operation of a Motor Vehicle while Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs
C.G.S. 14-237; Driving the Wrong-Way on a Divided Highway
C.G.S. 14-238; Improper Entry/Exit of a Limited Access Highway
C.G.S. 21a-279(a)(1); Possession of a Controlled Substance- 1st Offense
C.G.S. 53a-64; Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree
Following arrest processing, Sanabria was released on a $10,000 cash/surety bond and is scheduled for arraignment at Manchester Superior Court on 12/12/2024.
Please see the attached photos below.
