Officers on patrol near the Kings Highway East lounge on Feb. 18 noticed a grey Nissan Altima, which has been seen at the hookah lounge many times, drive by with a flat tire around 10:15 a.m. Friday, police said.
When the officer tried to stop the vehicle, the driver, Prince Vines, 29, of Highland Avenue, sped up, driving an estimated 50 to 60 miles per hour and turning onto Villa Avenue, police said. He blew through two traffic lights and a stop sign before officers stopped pursuit for safety reasons, police said.
Officers heard a noise during the brief chase and went back and found a 9-millimeter handgun along the roadway outside Andros Diner.
On Friday, Vines turned himself in and posted a $495 cash bond, police said.
He was charged with reckless driving, engaging in pursuit, two counts of failure to obey a control signal, failure to obey a stop sign and unsafe tires, police said.
He has not yet been tied to the gun, which was reported stolen out of Hartford, police said.
Vines is scheduled to appear in court on April 5.
Officers have stepped up patrols around the hookah lounge, as they’ve noticed an uptick in narcotics arrests and criminal activity in the area in recent months.
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