A Connecticut man has been charged with kidnapping and other charges after he forced a truck driver to drive him from the scene of an I-89 accident on Friday the 13th, police say.
Berlin police received a call of a suspicious event that had occurred in the Berlin Mall parking lot involving a possible kidnapping with a firearm. Police say Barry Perez, 37 of Hartford, Connecticut had brandished a firearm at a tractor trailer operator who had stopped at the scene of an I-89 motor vehicle rollover to check on the operator.
The tractor trailer operator was told to drive by Perez and eventually the vehicle stopped at the Berlin Mall where the operator was able to escape Perez and call 911.
Perez remained on scene in the vehicle. Due to concerns of Perez being armed with a firearm, a tactical response was conducted by officers of several police agencies. Perez was safely taken into custody for Kidnapping, Unlawful Restraint 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault, and Reckless Endangerment.
Perez was transported to the Berlin Police Department for processing and brought to Washington County Criminal Court where he was arraigned on all charges and held without bail.