Man Leads Cops On Chase After Beach Incident, Arrested Again, New London Police Say

NEW LONDON, CT — A man is facing charges after police say he showed what appeared to be a gun to a small group at Ocean Beach Park in New London.

The incident was reported at 11:38 a.m. Tuesday.

The caller described the suspect and said he was operating a moped. The caller said the suspect lifted his shirt to reveal what appeared to be "the handle of a Glock" to the group. The suspect then fled.

Officers spotted a moped matching the description a short while later on Montauk Avenue.

Officers tried to stop the moped, but the operator didn't yield and led police on a chase.

Police recognized the suspect from a prior arrest June 1 for brandishing a fake weapon while operating a moped.

Read more: Moped Rider Brandished Facsimile Gun In New London, Police Say

Police took the suspect, Carlos Santana-Mateo, 19, of New London, into custody.

He was charged with breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of an officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal, and driving the wrong way on a one-way street.

Anyone with information can contact the New London Police Department at 860-447-5269, ext. 0 or anonymous tips may be submitted via the New London Police Tips 411 system by texting NLPDTip plus the information to Tip411 (847411).