Police: Stolen vehicle suspect struck Providence police cruiser, faces 11 charges

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A man police said was inside a stolen vehicle in Providence and then drove at officers after a pursuit into Cranston on Sunday now faces a long list of charges.

Police said a cruiser also caught fire after the man drove the stolen vehicle onto an embankment.

Justin Rose, 35, faces 11 charges in connection with the incident.

A police spokesperson said officers initially located a recently reported stolen vehicle on Sassafras Street in Providence Sunday.

Police initially thought the vehicle was unoccupied, the spokesperson said, but Rose then sat up in the driver’s seat as officers approached.

Police said Rose refused to comply with officers’ commands and then drove toward one of the officers before striking a police vehicle.

Police then pursued Rose before he drove onto an embankment on Wellington Avenue in Cranston, the spokesperson said.

Police said vehicle Rose was driving caused a pile of leaves to catch on fire and then became fully engulfed in flames.

A police vehicle also caught fire during the pursuit, police said.

Rose was arraigned on Monday in Providence District Court but was set to re-appear as a bail violator at Superior Court in the afternoon.

In this case, he faces three counts of felony assault and one count of assault on police in addition to other charges.

Court records show Rose has a lengthy criminal history, dating back to 2017.

Rose has faced charges including larceny, possession of a stolen vehicle, violating a protective order, breaking and entering, vandalism, robbery, and domestic violence.

He has been charged with various offenses by police in Pawtucket, Providence, Cumberland, Cranston, East Providence, Bristol, West Warwick, Warwick, North Smithfield, and North Providence.

He was also charged with eluding law enforcement in a high-speed pursuit in 2017 in Pawtucket.