New London man arrested after running into Thames River to escape police

NEW LONDON, Conn. (WTNH) — A New London man was arrested after he ran into the Thames River to avoid police.

A woman called 911 on Thursday afternoon reporting that she had been assaulted, and provided a description of the suspect. The suspect, Richard Kaczmarczyk, 59, fled the scene as police arrived and ran over train tracks and into the Thames River, temporarily ceasing Amtrak operations.

He was surrounded by many mutual aid law enforcement units, including the Coast Guard, for over an hour until he surrendered. Kaczmarczyk was taken into custody and transported to the hospital.

It was later discovered that he was wanted on eight active arrest warrants. He was charged with interfering with police, breach of peace and violation of a protective order, as well as five other charges, as a result.

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