A 17-year-old Groton boy is facing assault and reckless endangerment charges after allegedly ramming into a stolen dirt bike during a police pursuit on Route 117 in Ledyard Thursday night, causing a crash. Neither person involved in the collision was hurt, but the teen now faces serious charges for what investigators describe as an intentional act of road violence aimed at the bike's operator.
According to WTNH, Ledyard officers were notified at roughly 8:15 p.m. Thursday that a Town of Groton police officer was pursuing a stolen dirt bike on Route 117. The teen allegedly followed the officer and the dirt bike before overtaking the patrol cruiser, then driving around the pursuing officer and intentionally crashing into the dirt bike, causing the wreck, per News-Times.
Police say the teen was a member of the household from which two dirt bikes had been reported stolen, according to the News-Times report. Ledyard police arrested him and charged him with third-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment, per the Ledyard Police Department news release cited in that account.
Separate Arrest for the Alleged Dirt Bike Thief
The person riding the stolen dirt bike, a 21-year-old New London man, was arrested by Town of Groton police. He was charged with larceny, third-degree burglary, interfering with an officer, and several motor vehicle charges, the News-Times reports, citing the Ledyard Police Department news release. Officials reported no injuries to either party in the crash, and the account notes that investigators were not aware of any preexisting relationship between the people involved.
As of Friday afternoon, the whereabouts of a second stolen dirt bike and its operator remained unknown, according to Town of Groton police cited by the News-Times. That detail leaves open questions about how many riders and bikes were actually involved in the night's events.
Separate Groton Incident Involved Gunfire
The dirt bike pursuit was separate from a Groton incident involving gunfire on Monday, April 13, 2026. WTNH reported that police were investigating an alleged burglary in which someone tried to steal dirt bikes from a detached shed and a gunshot was fired.
Per that WTNH report, the Groton Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call around 10:14 p.m. on Monday, April 13, 2026, from a resident on Knoxville Court. When the resident interrupted the male suspect, he allegedly fled the scene and fired one gunshot toward the resident. The resident was not struck, and no injuries were reported in that incident.
