Erie County man sentenced for stealing NYS police car while being put in custody

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An Erie County man was sentenced Thursday morning after he stole a New York State police car while getting arrested for a separate offense, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Just after 4:15 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2024, Bryan Ells, 41, was a passenger in a van that was getting pulled over in Gowanda. The defendant, from Brant, was wanted on a warrant from Chautauqua County.

Ells was arrested and placed into the back of a police car. Officials searched the van and while doing so, Ells escaped the rear seat and drove off.

The vehicle was found occupied in the Town of Collins. Ells drove off at a high rate of speed and almost hit a sheriff’s office vehicle before fleeing to a residence in the hamlet of Versailles. The stolen patrol vehicle was found on Eaton Road.

Ells was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 1 to 3 years in prison. He pleaded guilty to the highest sustainable charge in December.

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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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