Police arrest alleged hit and run driver after chase, hiding in pond, assaulting officers, attempting to grab guns

A man is facing multiple charges after a chain of events injured officers and vehicle occupants.

According to Cranston Police, at approximately 5:00 p.m. Tuesday evening, a Cranston Detective attempted to locate a suspect being sought on an affidavit and arrest warrant for Reckless Driving/Eluding a Police Officer after refusing to stop for a Cranston Police Officer (in a marked Patrol Unit) who attempted to pull him over a few days prior. It was also known that the suspect’s driver’s license was suspended, and he had several court warrants stemming from previous charges of operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license.

An Officer in a marked unit was traveling in the opposite direction when he observed the suspect, 25-year-old Yohnni A. Tetreault. The Officer activated his emergency lights to turn around to get behind the suspect vehicle. The suspect immediately accelerated in an attempt to flee on Lakeside Drive, could not negotiate a sharp curve in the road, and struck a car heading in the opposite direction head-on. The impact was significant, causing injury to the two occupants inside the second vehicle. After this collision, the suspect veered off and hit a parked car before fleeing on foot.

Police stated that the suspect ran through thick brush and entered the water, swimming across Fenner Pond. Multiple Officers responded to the area, including a K-9 team from the RI Department of Corrections. Tetreault managed to avoid apprehension for approximately an hour by periodically submerging himself in the murky water and hiding among reeds inside the pond. Officers eventually located him and entered the water (with a depth of 3-4 feet) to pull him out and place him into custody.

The suspect violently resisted arrest by assaulting two Officers resulting in minor injuries. Tetreault allegedly attempted to disarm two other Officers by pulling on their holstered firearms. The Officers were eventually able to subdue him and bring him onto land.

A quantity of marijuana (over two ounces) was found in the suspect’s vehicle.

Tetreault sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Kent County Hospital.

He is expected to be arraigned in court today on multiple offenses.