New Haven police arrested two people after a bizarre altercation involving a man angered over his SUV being "booted" by a tow truck driver.
Police responded to 187 Orange Street just past midnight on Saturday morning. An arriving officer found a Dodge SUV wedged between the Corner Deli and a tree. He also found a tow truck driver with his damaged tow truck.
The driver told police he had placed a "boot" on the SUV because the owner had owed back taxes to the city. He said the vehicle's owner approached him and ordered him to remove the boot. When the tow truck driver refused, the owner jumped in the SUV, drove it into the tow truck, ran over a parking meter, and then slammed it into the deli, according to police.
Officers ran the license plate and discovered the owners, Michael Pervis Jr. and Waleska Marrero, lived in a nearby building. As officers went to the building they were greeted by Marrero, who told them Pervis was upstairs and asleep.
She brought the officers upstairs, but when the apartment door opened, Pervis attacked the officers, threw punches and screamed "you're going to have to earn this," according to police. The officers put Pervis in handcuffs, but he continued to struggle, police said. At one point Marrero tried to pull one of the officer away from Pervis, according to police. She backed off but grabbed a fire extinguisher, police said. Marrero was arrested as well.
Pervis was charged with two counts of assault on a police officer, criminal mischief, evading responsibility and disorderly conduct. Marrero was charged with interfering with police.