A Millburn officer's traffic stop at the Mall at Short Hills turned into a hit-and-flee on Oct. 6 when the driver of a 2012 Mercedes-Benz allegedly refused to get out of his car, then sped off and struck the officer's arm on his way out, according to police. A front-seat passenger and a child in the back seat were in the vehicle at the time, police said. The following day, Millburn police tracked down and arrested the alleged driver in Newark.
According to Patch, the officer pulled the Mercedes-Benz over for an alleged motor-vehicle violation at the mall. Police said the driver's license came back suspended during the stop, and when the officer told him to step out of the car, he refused. Instead, police said, he fled the scene at a high rate of speed, striking the officer's arm in the process.
Millburn police identified the driver as 28-year-old Shaquan Smith of Newark and arrested him the next day in his home city, per the same account. According to TAPinto, the stop was conducted by Officer Matos, and Smith was ultimately lodged at the Essex County Correctional Facility to await a court date.
Charges Stack Up Against Newark Driver
Police charged Smith with eluding, assault on a police officer, endangering the welfare of a minor and related motor-vehicle offenses, the outlet reported. The endangerment charge stems from the presence of a child in the back seat of the fleeing vehicle, according to police.
Mall Has Seen Similar Cases Before
This is not the first time Millburn police have reported a driver bolting from a stop at the busy shopping destination. In September 2024, officers arrested 25-year-old Aaron Miranda of Elizabeth after he allegedly tried to elude police twice in a white Mercedes-Benz at the mall, once on Sept. 20 and again two days later, the same outlet noted. Miranda was charged with two counts of eluding police along with multiple motor-vehicle violations.
That same September, police also arrested 32-year-old Courtney Harrison of Clermont, Florida, after finding him in a Toyota Corolla bearing a stolen Connecticut license plate at the Mall at Short Hills. Harrison was charged with receiving stolen property and multiple motor-vehicle summonses, according to the report. Those earlier cases involved eluding and stolen-vehicle allegations rather than an alleged assault on an officer, but they underscore how often Millburn police have had to chase down drivers fleeing the mall's parking areas.
