Cops: Homeless Man On Drugs Threatens Girlfriend, Kicks, Hits Her; Has Accident While Fleeing

A man who assaulted his girlfriend, sped out of a Riverhead parking lot, crashed into a car and ended up hitting trees was arrested Saturday night, police said.

According to Riverhead Town Police, a call came in at 7:40 p.m. about an assault in progress in the T.J. Maxx shopping plaza on Route 58. 

A man was seen threatening to kill the woman, dragging her by the hair, kicking her repeatedly and hitting her in the face, authorities said.

Police at the scene said they saw a red four-door sedan speeding out of the parking lot, striking another vehicle as the driver headed west on Route 58.

The accident caused a flat tire, police said, and the driver continued slowly onto the Long Island Expressway heading west, where it struck a guardrail and then veered off the road and struck trees, just west of exit 71.

Robert S. Davis, 52, undomiciled, whose last known address was in Shirley, sustained non-life threatening injures and was transported to Stony Brook Hospital by a Suffolk County Police Department helicopter.

He was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor, assault in the third degree, a misdemeanor, unlawful fleeing from a police officer, a misdemeanor, harassment in the second degree, a misdemeanor, and numerous traffic violations, police said.

He remained at the hospital for treatment. His girlfriend, 52, also homeless, was treated and released at Peconic Bay Medical Center. No other injuries stemmed from the incident, police said.