Passenger Turned Fugitive Escapes Custody in Patrol Car, Faces Up to 7 Years in Prison
(WNY News Now) – A Brant man has pleaded guilty to stealing a New York State Police vehicle and leading authorities on a dangerous pursuit while under arrest for a warrant.
Bryan D. Ells, 41, admitted to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a Class “D” felony, and one count of Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in the Third Degree, a Class “A” misdemeanor. Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced that Ells entered his plea before Acting Erie County Court Judge Andrew C. LoTempio on Monday afternoon.
The incident occurred on October 17, 2024, when a New York State Trooper stopped a vehicle on Aldrich Street in the Village of Gowanda for a traffic violation. Ells, a passenger in the car, was wanted on a warrant from Chautauqua County. After being handcuffed and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle, Ells managed to escape his restraints, gain control of the vehicle, and flee the scene.
The stolen patrol car was later located on Gowanda Zoar Road in the Town of Collins, but Ells evaded capture again after nearly colliding with a Sheriff’s Office vehicle while driving at high speed. Authorities ultimately found the patrol car abandoned on Eaton Road in Versailles. Ells was arrested inside a nearby residence.
Ells now faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison. He remains in custody without bail and is scheduled for sentencing on February 20, 2025.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Kranitz McPhee of the Felony Trials Bureau prosecuted the case.
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