A New York man has been arrested and charged after allegedly leading police on a vehicle pursuit in which a Clark police officer discharged his service weapon, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park and Clark Police Chief Alan Scherb announced today.
Kasaine Pertet, 32, of New Windsor, N.Y. is being held on $310,000 bail.
It was shortly after 5:15 p.m. Friday when a store representative from the Target on Central Avenue in Clark called police to indicate that a man later identified as Pertet was allegedly trying to purchase items through the fraudulent use of a credit card.
Arriving officers encountered Pertet attempting to leave the area in a gold Ford Taurus.
As the arriving officers attempted to apprehend Pertet, a Clark Police Department detective discharged a single round from his service weapon, striking the Taurus.
The vehicle pursuit that followed ended when Pertet was arrested on West Grand Street in Elizabeth.
The Clark detective who discharged his weapon was taken to a local hospital for evaluation as a precautionary measure.
As with all instances in which an officer discharges his or her weapon, the Prosecutor’s Office Shooting Response Team (SRT) responded to the scene and initiated an investigation into the use of force. That investigation is ongoing.
Pertet was charged with second-degree eluding police, second-degree aggravated assault on a police officer, third-degree aggravated assault on a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, third-degree theft by deception, third-degree credit card fraud, two counts of third-degree credit card theft, and two third-degree weapons offenses. Â
Second-degree charges typically carry penalties of 5 to 10 years in state prison, while third-degree crimes result in typical terms of 3 to 5 years.