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The incident leading to the arrest began on Saturday, May 11 just before 11 p.m., when an officer tried stopping a white Mercedes-Benz SUV on the southbound Saw Mill River Parkway just south of Route 119 in Elmsford after seeing it commit traffic violations, according to Westchester County Police Public Information Officer Kieran O'Leary.
The Mercedes did not stop and instead continued to drive south. The pursuing officer soon decided to stop the chase and shut off his emergency lights because of traffic conditions, O'Leary said.
As the Mercedes continued driving south, the officer eventually saw it again in traffic near Lawrence Street in Ardsley and activated his lights to try to stop it.
The Mercedes kept fleeing down the parkway's right shoulder and soon struck another vehicle before swerving left across two lanes of traffic and a turning lane. According to O'Leary, the Mercedes then came to a rest after crashing into the center guide rail.
After the crash, the vehicle was rendered inoperable.
The driver, later identified as New York City resident Jose Polo, ran away across the northbound traffic lanes.
However, the pursuing officer soon caught up with him and apprehended him shortly after with the help of an off-duty Westchester County Police officer who saw Polo bail out of the car, O'Leary said.
Two children and a woman who had been passengers inside Polo's vehicle were later evaluated by emergency responders and found to be uninjured.
According to O'Leary, Polo was found to have a fraudulent driver's license with a name from the Dominican Republic. After his arrest, he was charged with:
- Endangering the welfare of a child;
- Second-degree reckless endangerment;
- Reckless driving;
- Third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation;
- Third-degree fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle;
- Second-degree possession of a forged instrument;
- Several other traffic violations.
Polo was later arraigned in Dobbs Ferry Village Court and released on his own recognizance.
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