STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — A police officer who fell from a bridge abutment onto the edge of a highway while chasing a robbery suspect remained in critical condition Friday. The suspect's lawyer said he and his client are keeping the officer in their prayers.
Officer Troy Strauser was hurt early Thursday after falling about 20 feet from the abutment over Interstate 95 in Norwalk. He has undergone multiple surgeries.
Frank Douglas, of Norwalk, has been charged with robbery, assault on a police officer, interfering with a police officer and cruelty to animals. Authorities said he choked a police dog during the struggle to apprehend him.
The 30-year-old Douglas appeared in Stamford Superior Court on Friday and was ordered held on $500,000 bond.
His attorney urged people to keep an open mind about the circumstances of the case.
"The charges against my client are in dispute for the most part. However what's not in dispute is that I as well as my client empathizes with Troy and prays for his speedy recovery," attorney Darnell D. Crosland said. "It's important to note that my client wasn't running to the officer with any intent of causing him harm but was running away. It's too early at this point to comment on the evidence, but I would encourage the process not to rush to judgment based on emotion."
Joe Kennedy, president of the Stamford Police Association, said Douglas should have stopped running and pulled over his car earlier.
"We're not looking to rush to judgment," Kennedy said. "We're frustrated that it happened. We are just hoping justice is served through the system and only through the system."
The chase began shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday when a witness reported that a man was being beaten and robbed in Stamford. Police chased the suspect's car into Norwalk, where it crashed.
Douglas fled on foot, ran over the bridge, then made a left turn and made his way down the 20-foot drop of the bridge abutment to the level of the highway below, police said.
Strauser didn't see the edge of the abutment, which was obscured by some underbrush, fell and landed face down on a guardrail and the pavement at the edge of the highway, police said.