New Castle County police have updated a story that only First State Update covered on Sunday.
Officials said on Saturday, at 11:41 p.m., Officers from the New Castle County Division of Police responded to the unit block of Augustine Place in the community of Crofton for assault in progress.
As Officers approached the scene, the suspect fled in his vehicle, colliding with a car and several police SUVs. As he fled, the suspect struck a New Castle County police officer, prompting that Officer and an assisting Officer to discharge their division-issued firearms. The suspect continued driving until his vehicle was disabled a short distance away, at which point he fled on foot. Officers conducted an extensive search of the area but could not locate the suspect.
Detectives from the Division’s Criminal Investigations Unit responded to the scene to assume the investigation. Through investigative efforts, Detectives identified the suspect as 36-year-old Carlos Torres of Wilmington.
On Sunday , search warrants were executed at a known address for Torres. During the execution of those warrants, Torres was located and taken into custody. It was determined he was not struck by the officer’s gunfire. However, he had sustained injuries during the initial altercation, which caused police to be summoned to the home. He was transported to New Castle County Police Headquarters. After further investigation, warrants were obtained at the Justice of the Peace Court, charging Torres with Four felony counts of reckless endangering first degree, One felony count of disregarding a police officer signal, One felony count of assault second degree, and One misdemeanor count of terroristic threatening.
Carlos is currently awaiting arraignment at Justice of the Peace Court.
The New Castle County officers involved in the incident were not injured. The Officers who discharged their firearms, including a 12-year veteran and a 3-year veteran, have been placed on Administrative Leave per Division policy. The investigation into the Officers’ use of force is being conducted by the Delaware Department of Justice, Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust and the New Castle County Division of Police.