A central Maine man was arrested on Saturday in New Jersey, after allegedly carjacking the SUV he was driving at a gas station in Massachusetts.
At about 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, a Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, patrolman saw a black Range Rover making a left turn through a red light and pulled over the driver, later identified as Dustin Zimmerman, 32, of Livermore Falls, Maine, Robbinsville police said in a press release.
The officer spoke to Zimmerman, who refused to give his name, according to the department. While the officer was calling for backup, Zimmerman allegedly sped away.
Another patrolman saw Zimmerman speed toward him then drive off the road into a field where police tried to detain him, according the department.
Zimmerman “became extremely irate and began kicking and head-butting officers,” who ultimately pepper-sprayed him and brought him to a local hospital for evaluation, according to the department.
Police said they later learned that Zimmerman had carjacked the Range Rover three states away.
According to NJ.com, local police said Zimmerman stole the SUV while the owner was pumping gas at a Shell station in Reading, Massachusetts, at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
Zimmerman had allegedly arrived at the gas station in a different stolen vehicle.
The 49-year-old owner of the Range Rover, who lived in Reading, allegedly held onto a sideview mirror and was dragged 20 feet as Zimmerman drove away, NJ.com reported. He was hospitalized with injuries.
Reading, Massachusetts, is north of Boston and about 275 miles from Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, a suburb of Trenton, where Zimmerman was arrested.
After Zimmerman was detained, he was charged with multiple offenses related to the initial traffic violation, the chase and resisting arrest, as well as receiving stolen property, Robbinsville police said.
