Erie County man admits to fleeing from police in stolen patrol vehicle

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Brant man pleaded guilty Tuesday after fleeing police in a stolen patrol vehicle following his arrest, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Bryan Ells was discovered to be wanted out of Chautauqua County during a traffic stop in Gowanda on Oct. 17. He was handcuffed and placed in a state patrol vehicle.

Police searched the van that Ells was riding in. Ells escaped the back seat and drove off to Gowanda Zoar Road in the Town of Collins. He drove at a high rate of speed when police caught up to him and nearly hit a Sheriff’s Office vehicle.

The vehicle was later found abandoned on Eaton Road in the hamlet of Versailles. Ells was discovered inside a nearby residence.

He pleaded guilty to third-degree unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and third-degree grand larceny. He faces up to seven years in prison when he is sentenced in February. He remains held without bail.

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Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.

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