Cranston Police were among the first law enforcement that the driver of a white Ford F-150 came in contact with in a chase last Thursday, Nov. 9, that resulted in the death of 32-year-old Joseph Santos.

According to Major Todd Patalano, second-in-command of the Cranston Police, a broadcast went out across police radio channels across the state that the suspect from an earlier incident, when Donald Morgan stole a State Police cruiser, had possibly been seen in the back of a white pickup truck.

“When that broadcast went out alerting all units, one of our officers stopped a white pickup near Farmington Avenue on a motor vehicle stop,” Patalano said. “He saw the white pickup operating erratically prior to the stop and, not knowing if this was the truck, he stopped it.”

Once the officer, whose name was not released, got to the back bumper of the truck, Patalano said, the driver sped off. The officer decided not to pursue the vehicle “because he felt that it did not conform to department policy based on factors present at the time,” according to Patalano, and all Cranston officers were alerted of the incident and advised to remain in the city of Cranston.

“We were the first ones to encounter the vehicle,” he said. “However, once it fled we disengaged and never let it rise to a level of the high speed pursuit.”

The driver did find his way to Route 10, however, where a high-speed chase involving state troopers and Providence Police ensued, leading to a deadly shootout near Providence Place Mall.

Cranston Police had a small involvement in the story but were nevertheless a part of the police situation that made waves in Rhode Island last Thursday.