A State Capitol Police officer parked outside the Legislative Office Building in Hartford sensed something off about the woman approaching his cruiser at sunrise Wednesday. He closed his window — just in time to shield him from a knife.
The woman stabbed at the closed window, moved to the front of the cruiser and jabbed at a tire and bumper, then returned to the window and continued stabbing it until the blade broke, police said.
She led the officer and others on a foot chase, circling back to the unoccupied cruiser, trying to steal it, police said. They used a Taser when she refused to leave the cruiser.
The woman was subdued and taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation. Police did not identify the woman, who will face criminal charges to be determined after a review by prosecutors.
The incident was captured on body-camera video, which was not immediately released.
The officer had only four months on the job and was working the midnight shift. But like many on the Capitol police force, he had experience elsewhere: The officer had been a detective and street cop in New Britain for at least 20 years.
Sgt. Michael Bermudez, the public information officer, said the department’s officers have mental-health crisis training. Gov. Ned Lamont, after being briefed by the Capitol police chief, Luiz Casanova, praised the police for responding with restraint.
