By Tiffany Williams –
In East Haven, a reckless driving incident that unfolded in the early morning hours of April 12 is now leading to criminal charges after what police describe as a dangerous attempt to flee.
Officers assigned to a proactive crime suppression detail were conducting a business check near Rumba Cafe at approximately 1:29 a.m. when they spotted a BMW parked on a public sidewalk, blocking the pedestrian walkway. A registration check revealed the vehicle’s registration was suspended. Moments later, officers observed the operator enter the vehicle and drive off the sidewalk onto Main Street.
What happened next escalated quickly. As officers pulled behind the vehicle, the BMW accelerated at a high rate of speed and began switching lanes in what police say was an attempt to elude them. When officers activated emergency lights and sirens to initiate a stop, the driver failed to comply, ran a red traffic light at Townsend Avenue and Main Street, and continued westbound toward the Interstate 95 southbound on-ramp.
For public safety reasons, officers made the decision to terminate the pursuit, shutting down emergency equipment and broadcasting the vehicle’s last known direction.
The investigation did not end there. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed the BMW had been parked illegally on the sidewalk before the incident and captured the operator rapidly reversing while still on the sidewalk before driving through part of a parking lot and sidewalk area and leaving the scene.
Police later identified the operator as 43-year-old Jayson Laboy of North Branford.
Laboy now faces multiple charges, including engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, parking a motor vehicle on a sidewalk, reckless endangerment in the second degree, illegal operation of a motor vehicle under suspension, and failure to insure a private motor vehicle.
He was released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on April 29, 2026.
The case highlights the split-second decisions officers must make when balancing enforcement with public safety, particularly when a pursuit risks putting more lives in danger than the suspect’s actions already have.