Cranston Police Arrest Man Who Tried to Elude Capture by Jumping in Pond

Cranston Police Arrest Man Who Tried to Elude Capture by Jumping in Pond

Cranston Police said they arrested a man on Tuesday -- who attempted to avoid apprehension by jumping into a local pond after causing a car crash.  

When he was located, the suspect reportedly injured officers while resisting arrest. 

“I commend the Officers for their actions this evening apprehending a suspect that demonstrated complete disregard for the public and the laws that keep our citizens safe," said Colonel Michael Winquist. "These Officers conducted a systematic search in a challenging environment and bravely entered the water to apprehend the suspect who was extremely combative. I am proud of their competency and professionalism while performing a very difficult job.” 

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About Incident

At approximately 5:00 PM on Tuesday, a Cranston Detective attempted to locate the suspect, Yohnni A. Tetreault, age 25, at his residence on Elwood Ave in Cranston.

Tetreault was being sought on an affidavit and arrest warrant for Reckless Driving/Eluding a Police Officer afterrefusing to stop for a Cranston Police Officer (in a marked Patrol Unit) who attempted to pull him over a few days prior. According to police, it was also known that the suspect's driver's license was suspended, and he had several court warrants stemming from previous charges of operating a motor vehicle on a  suspended license. 

As the detective pulled up to the suspect's residence in an unmarked car, he said he observed him backing out of the driveway and leaving the area. The detective followed the suspect and called for a marked police unit to execute a car stop. The Officer in the marked unit was  traveling in the opposite direction when he observed the suspect he activated his emergency lights  to turn around to get behind the suspect vehicle. 

Police say the suspect immediately accelerated in an attempt to flee on Lakeside Drive, could not negotiate a sharp curve in the road, and struck a car heading in the opposite direction head-on. The impact was significant, say police, causing injury to the two occupants inside the second vehicle. After this collision, the suspect veered off and hit a parked car before fleeing on foot. The suspect ran through thick brush and entered the water, swimming across Fenner Pond. 

Multiple Officers responded to the area, including a K-9 team from the Rhode Island Department of Corrections. 

Suspect Resisted Arrest 

Police say Tetreault managed to avoid apprehension for approximately an hour by periodically submerging himself in the murky water and hiding among reeds inside the pond. 

Officers eventually located him and entered the water (with a depth of 3-4 feet) to pull him out and place him into custody. The suspect violently resisted, assaulting two Officers, say police, resulting in minor injuries and attempted to disarm two other Officers by pulling on their holstered firearms. 

The Officers were eventually able to subdue him and bring him onto land. A quantity of marijuana (over two ounces) was foundin the suspect's vehicle. The suspect sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Kent County Hospital. 

He was expected to be discharged and held overnight at Cranston Police Headquarters, and charged with the following offenses: 

• Duty to Stop in Accident Resulting in Personal Injury 
• Possession of Marijuana (over two ounces) 
• Resisting arrest 
• Reckless Driving/Eluding (2 counts - one count from the previous incident and one count from Tuesday) 
• Simple assault on a police officer (4 counts) 
• Driving on a Suspended License - 3rd offense or greater (2 counts) 

Tetreault is also wanted on four court warrants. 

The two occupants in the vehicle that the suspect struck were also transported to the hospital with injuries that included cuts and scrapes, a cracked sternum, fractured ribs, and a possible broken foot.