UPS Driver Dies After Assault, Co-Worker Taken Into Custody

A UPS worker hooks a UPS truck to a trailer containing shipments of the Pfizer And BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Capital Region International Airport on December 13, 2020 in Lansing, Michigan. The first doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine will be distributed to all 50 states. (Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

WATERTOWN, Conn.—A UPS employee sought in a deadly assault on a co-worker was taken into custody Wednesday, Connecticut state police said.

The suspect, Elijah David Bertrand, 19, had been sought by authorities since Tuesday night when a fellow UPS worker was found suffering from injuries.

The two men apparently were riding in the same vehicle before the assault, Connecticut State Police Trooper Joseu Dorelus said at a news conference. The motive was unknown. A weapon was recovered at the scene, Dorelus said.

Bertrand was located and taken into state police custody, the agency said on Twitter. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

State troopers initially responded to a call about an accident involving a UPS truck in Watertown on Tuesday evening. They found the driver had been assaulted, and medics took him to a hospital, where he died.

Connecticut State Police did not identify the victim or give information about the nature of his injuries. An autopsy was to determine the cause and manner of death.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, and are cooperating with the investigation,” UPS spokesperson Matthew O’Connor said.