Syracuse, NY -- A man with seven active warrants was taken into custody Wednesday night following a police chase, both in cars and on foot, on Syracuse's Southside, police said. Christopher Caldwell, 21, of 214 Village Drive, had new charges against him following the chase, including felony drug charges, when police said they found more than 1½ ounces of crack...
Syracuse, NY -- A man with seven active warrants was taken into custody Wednesday night following a police chase, both in cars and on foot, on Syracuse's Southside, police said.
Christopher Caldwell, 21, of 214 Village Drive, had new charges against him following the chase, including felony drug charges, when police said they found more than 1½ ounces of crack cocaine in his possession.
Police were looking for Caldwell for several weeks to take him into custody on the active warrants. Police had located Caldwell during that time, but Caldwell successfully ran from police, Sgt. Tom Connellan said today.
While police were looking for Caldwell, detectives uncovered information that Caldwell was a victim of a shooting, Connellan said. A bloody shirt, thought to be Caldwell’s, was found with a hole in the chest area at a scene of a reported shots-fired investigation, Connellan said, but Caldwell never sought medical attention at a hospital.
Detectives believed Caldwell, who was thought to be in possession of a handgun, was driving a rented, red Chevrolet Impala. Officers located the car about 7 p.m. in a driveway on McKinley Avenue Wednesday night, Connellan said. Officers began watching the car, he said.
Connellan outlined what happened next:
About 8:50 p.m., the car pulled out of the driveway and headed down South State Street. Officers watched the car pass them and confirmed it was Caldwell driving and that he was alone.
At South Salina Street and Brighton Avenue, police attempted to surround the car with police vehicles and take Caldwell into custody.
Caldwell quickly backed up, and then accelerated away, nearly striking three officers in the process. The chase went north on South Salina Street to the 100 block of McKinley Avenue, where Caldwell left the moving car and began running through back yards. The car kept going until it hit a telephone pole.
Caldwell fought with police when they finally chased him down and officers used a Taser to take Caldwell into custody.
While the chase was going on, Caldwell took off a jacket he was wearing and threw it to the ground. It was in the jacket that police found the cocaine.
While talking to investigators, Caldwell told police that he was shot on Aug. 23, with the bullet entering his shoulder and exiting through his back and showed police the wound. Caldwell said he was treating the wound himself.
After he was apprehended in the chase, Caldwell was charged with felony and misdemeanor counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony count of reckless endangerment, and misdemeanor counts of unlawfully fleeing a police officer and resisting arrest. Those charges are new and not a part of the seven active warrants.