FARMINGTON, Conn. (WFSB) – A New Britain man was arrested for driving under the influence and avoiding a crash on I-84 in Farmington.

State police say they responded to I-84 westbound exit 39A around 12:10 a.m. Sunday for a report of a crash.

When soldiers arrived, they found 30 feet of heavy railing damage on the left side of the ramp.

Meanwhile, state police began receiving numerous calls reporting a black Acura SUV driving south on Route 9, dragging its front bumper.

“A short time later, a 911 caller reported that the vehicle had exited the highway off-ramp to exit 37B. “Troopers later located the fleeing vehicle off-ramp to southbound exit 37B on New England Route 9,” state police said.

When the vehicle stopped at a red light, police noticed he was smoking. When the driver of the car spotted the state trooper, he fled on foot toward New Britain.

The driver, identified as 30-year-old Jaime Nieves, fled to a nearby apartment complex where he was detained by troopers.

His speech was extremely slurred, his eyes were bloodshot and his breath smelled of alcohol, state police said.

He told the police that he ran away because the vehicle did not belong to him and he was afraid. He also told police that he had his last alcoholic drink at 11 p.m.

A Standardized Field Sobriety Test was administered to Trooper H, where Nieves did not perform up to standards, according to police.

While in custody, Nieves was found to have cocaine on him. Nieves told police it was cocaine.

During the investigation, a gun was found in the front garden of the apartment where Nieves was detained.

The serial number revealed that the gun was registered to Nieves, who had a valid CT pistol permit.

He told police he threw the gun away while running away from soldiers because he knew having the gun while drunk would get him in trouble.

Chemical testing showed Nieves’ blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

Nieves was charged with evasion of responsibility, destruction of property, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol/drugs and possession of a controlled substance, among other charges.

Nieves was later released from custody on $10,000 bail.

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