One brother charged with assault on police officer, the other with fentanyl possession
The Vermont State Police investigation is continuing into this week’s non-fatal police shooting by a member of the Rutland City Police Department.
Stae police say the men who were shot are identified as Randy A. Perez-Coiscou and Andy H. Perez-Coiscou. They are twin 21-year-old brothers from Springfield, Massachusetts. Both men remain hospitalized at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington for treatment of their injuries.
The Rutland officer who fired his service weapon is identified as Sgt. Andrew Plemmons.
The incident occurred when Plemmons and Officer James Rajda saw a suspicious vehicle parked near the Giorgetti Athletic Complex along Oak Street Extension shortly before 8:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, and initiated an investigation. The Perez-Coiscou brothers were the occupants of the car. During the interaction with police, the car began to move, and Sgt. Plemmons fired his handgun. The car eventually crashed at the end of Oak Street Extension. Rajda received a minor injury to one of his arms during the encounter. The Vermont State Police has not recovered any weapons connected to the suspects.
As a result of the investigation, Randy Perez-Coiscou was arrested on two charges of felony aggravated assault on a law-enforcement officer. He was turned over to the custody of the Vermont Department of Corrections while remaining hospitalized. He was arraigned by video Wednesday, July 5, in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Court in Rutland, pleaded not guilty, and was ordered jailed for lack of $10,000 bail.
Andy Perez-Coiscou received a citation on a charge of possession of fentanyl and is due in criminal court in Rutland on Aug. 14.
Plemmons, a patrol sergeant, has worked for the Rutland City Police Department since November 2014. Rajda is a patrol K9 officer and has worked for the department since September 2018. Their photos are attached to this release.
VSP’s investigation into the police shooting remains active and ongoing. Detectives have obtained video from body-worn and cruiser cameras, and will review any additional video available from surveillance cameras in the area. The Crime Scene Search Team processed the location of the shooting and the subsequent vehicle crash. Detectives have spoken to witnesses. The Rutland City Police Department is cooperating with the investigation.
Anyone with information that might assist in the investigation should call the state police barracks in Rutland at 802-773-9101 or leave an anonymous tip online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
No additional details are available at this time. The state police will continue providing updates as additional information becomes available.