Police identify man involved in I-84 shooting

Oct. 10-- Police have identified the driver of the stolen SUV that led police on a car-chase that turned into a fatal shooting on the I-84 highway as Albert James Voute III, 36, of Oradell, N.J.

Albert James Voute, III.

Voute, a white supremacist with delusions of criminal grandeur,  had escaped from a West Virginia prison in Martinsburg, W.Va., on Sept. 15 after fleeing from a transport service van. Voute created a multi-state manhunt, had a lengthy criminal record in several states, had been serving a 14-year sentence on bank robbery charges, and was even featured on America's Most Wanted.

Oct 8., Danbury Police Department received a report of a stolen vehicle from the Food Bag convenience store. Officers soon spotted the SUV and a brief pursuit ensued. Voute later fled on foot and was seen by a trooper that was patrolling the Exit 4 area of I-84.

Connecticut State Police's investigation showed that Voute had what appeared to be a handgun, which had been observed by several officers and witnesses. Voute directed the handgun at the state trooper, who was faced with a life-threatening situation and thus fired at Voute, striking him multiple times.

No shots were fired by Voute, according to the State Police Forensic Lab, who examined his handgun after the incident.

In pursuit to catch Voute, police raced through neighborhoods such as that of Estela Dardofo on Hiltop Manor, who was calling for her 5-year-old daughter to come home from a neighbor's yard. The stolen SUV then suddenly sped through Dardofo's yard, across the street, and crashed into her neighbor's stone wall.

"It was very scary," said Dardofo, who saw officers run through her yard and down the bank behind her house onto I-84 in pursuit of the fugitive. "I had just taken my daughter from the spot the car went through."

Ryan O'Donnell, 17, of Danbury was able to capture a photo of the
stolen SUV with his cell phone, Oct. 8, after it hit a stone wall.

Ryan O'Donnell, 17, walked out of his parents' home on the opposite side of Dardofo's and saw police streaming past while other police searched near the stone wall where the car had hit.

"This car was crashed into the rock wall," O'Donnell said. "You could see that the rear lights were still on and the driver's door was still open. The car was left running when the man left on foot."

The name of the Connecticut State trooper that shot Voute has not yet been released.

One thing I can't help but to wonder is: Who is the owner of the SUV that was stolen and what does he or she have to say about the whole thing?

Works Cited

Tepfer, Daniel and Susan Tuz. "Man killed by trooper identified as prison escapee." NewsTimes 10 Oct. 2010. Hearst Communications, Inc. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.