Authorities ID Man Shot During Wild Union Police Chase

The man who was shot after fleeing from police in Union Friday afternoon has been identified as a 32-year-old Linden resident, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said.

A motorist fled from police in Union and was caught after being shot in nearby Mountainside Friday.
Photo Credit: *Screen grab*

Paul Milo

06/08/2019 10:17 a.m.

Lester Krek was pulled over for a traffic violation on Rt. 22 in Union around 2:15 p.m. Krek took off during the stop, according to authorities.

Shortly afterward, Union police found his smashed pickup a few miles west in Mountainside. A Union police sergeant found Krek on foot in the 1600 block of Larkspur Drive and the two scuffled, the prosecutor's office said.

As the sergeant, who was not identified, was trying to subdue Krek, he fired his weapon, striking Krek. WABC 7 reported that Krek was attempting to wrestle the gun away from police.

Krek and the police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries, the prosecutor's office said. Krek has been charged with disarming a police officer, eluding police and resisting arrest.

Per attorney general guidelines governing police-involved shootings, the incident is under investigation by the prosecutor's office.

Anyone with information about this incident is being urged to contact Sgt. Janet Lopez at 908-347-8491 or Detective Katelyn Prata at 908-447-6195.

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