HARTFORD — OCT. 10 , 2019 — The fatal police shooting of Anthony Jose “Chulo” Vega Cruz after a traffic stop in Wethersfield, including the national attention and protests that followed, are examined in Collision Course, a half-hour TV documentary that kicks off Connecticut Public’s new investigative journalism project.
Collision Course examines the dynamics at play that led the two lives of two men – 18-year-old Vega Cruz and Wethersfield Police Officer Layau Eulizier – to collide on Wethersfield’s Silas Deane Highway on April 20, 2019.
Collision Course premieres Thursday, October 17 at 8:00 pm. on CPTV and on Connecticut Public’s YouTube channel. In addition, the program will be embedded via Hearst Connecticut Media online newspapers beginning October 18.
“Connecticut Public believes that investigative journalism is a vital service to our members and communities,” said Mark Contreras, Connecticut Public president and chief executive officer. “We are building our bench of dedicated reporters, editors and anchor s to take on this important endeavor and, in partnership with our public and commercial media partners, want to share stories like Collision Course with the largest audience possible in our state.”
“Collision Course is the first documentary in our new reporting endeavor, the Accountability Project, which was created in response to the public’s desire for thorough, balanced and fair reporting,” said Tim Rasmussen, chief content officer of Connecticut Public. “While newsrooms across the country are shrinking, Connecticut Public has been building its staff of reporters and content developers to tell stories through in-depth, longer-form reporting. This provides citizens with accurate information and facts, which they can use to make informed decisions as responsible stewards of their communities.”
In collaboration with Hartford filmmaker Pedro Bermudez, Collision Course includes new, exclusive interviews that provide insight into Vega Cruz’s mindset leading up to the traffic stop. The documentary also includes reporting after Vega Cruz’s death and the Wethersfield community’s response to it. Collision Course refocuses attention on the Hartford suburb’s practice of heavily enforcing minor motor vehicle
violations, such as tinted windows – and pulling over black and brown drivers at disproportionately higher rates when compared to whites.
For more information about Collision Course and to view a segment of the program, visit cptv.org/collision-course.
Connecticut Public is home to Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) and Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR). Together, Connecticut Public serves nearly one million citizens each month through Connecticut Public Radio and Connecticut Public Television, as well as through our many digital and online platforms. Through our mission to inform, educate and inspire the people of Connecticut, we connect people of all ages to high quality journalism, storytelling, education and experiences, and amplify the voices of our diverse communities. Connecticut Public is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with an $22 million annual budget, funded primarily through community support from individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors.
