Police chase prompts school lockdowns

Police are looking for a suspect in several burglaries. The search led to a chase into Cromwell, forcing schools into lockdown and setting residents on edge.

Heather Sylvestro is heading out to pick up her daughter but she's not coming back.

"She's supposed to stay at her grandmother's tonight so rather than bring her back here, I'm just going to get her at school and then go right to my mom's," Sylvestro said.

You could hardly blame her with a police scene at the bottom of her road. Rocky Hill police tried to pull over a green Escort. It fit the description of a suspect in a string of burglaries, but the driver took off down Main Street and into Cromwell, abandoning the car and fleeing on foot.

Residents were ordered to stay inside.

"I checked the attic and the basement and all the windows and doors, checked on my dog to make sure my dog was okay but you know, everything's fine," Sylvestro said.

K-9 units and officers from Rocky Hill, Cromwell, West Hartford and state police searched the area up and down Route 99. Folks were wondering where the suspect was.

"Any person who flees the police and goes to the extent that he did to get away from them, we would consider dangerous," Captain Roy Nelson, of Cromwell police said.

At Picnic Basket Catering on Main Street they were just finishing up an order.

"Saw a bunch of police cars down at the funeral home, got back here and had an officer stop in with a K-9 unit," Matthew Jorgensen, of Picnic Basket Catering, said.

But these folks refuse to be ruffled.

"Typical Cromwell, all sorts of strange things happen here," Jorgensen said.