Police: Attempted carjacking likely tied to statewide crime spree
Police say a teen has been arrested in connection with a crime spree that spanned several Connecticut towns and two counties Wednesday morning.
Fairfield police on Thursday said authorities have identified one of the suspects as a 15-yearold boy, who was arrested Wednesday night by New Haven police for an unrelated incident.
Police said charges are pending for the Wednesday incidents. Police said multiple juveniles were involved in the Wednesday crimes, but have not yet been arrested. Police in Branford, where two armed robberies tied to the group were reported, said the juveniles committed a string of five armed robberies along the shoreline from Clinton to Norwalk.
Fairfield police said the crime spree began early Wednesday when two juveniles — believed to be in a stolen vehicle from New Haven — committed an armed robbery in Clinton. Fairfield police said after the Clinton incident, the juveniles in the same vehicle drove to Branford.
Police in Branford on Thursday said multiple juveniles showed up in a vehicle that was carjacked in New Haven at gunpoint several days earlier. Police said they committed two armed robberies with a gun in Branford.
In the first Branford incident, the juveniles approached a victim walking to his vehicle at the Motel 6 around 5:30 a.m. The juveniles showed a gun and demanded the keys to the vehicle, the victim’s wallet and his cellphone, police said. The victim was punched before the juveniles took off in the vehicle. Police said they drove both vehicles to the Shell gas station, where one juvenile went inside and robbed the store attendant at gunpoint.
Branford police said the juveniles were identified within hours of the incident. The 15-year-old who brandished the gun was arrested, Branford police said. An arrest warrant is being sought for a 14-year-old juvenile as Branford police continue to investigate, with additional warrants for other juveniles allegedly involved expected at a later date.
After the Branford incidents, Fairfield police said, the juveniles drove in the stolen vehicle and robbed two faculty members of The Southport School at gunpoint around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the two women were robbed of their phones and bags, but were not hurt during the incident.
About 20 minutes later, police said the juveniles attempted to steal another car from a Norwalk driveway.
At about 8 a.m. Wednesday, Norwalk police said they received a 911 call about a possible attempt to steal a car in the area of County Street.
Norwalk Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino said the car owner reported that someone tried to steal their Acura, which was unlocked and idling in the driveway. The owner said they were trying to warm up the vehicle because of the cold weather and the keys were inside the residence, Gulino said.
A few minutes after starting the Acura, the owner saw an
unknown person inside the vehicle, Gulino said. Another vehicle was seen idling nearby. Gulino said the owner went out to confront the individual, who tried to put the car in gear and take off. When the Acura wouldn’t move, the individual got out of the Acura
and into the passenger’s side of the waiting vehicle, which fled the area, Gulino said.
Norwalk has not had a reported carjacking in 2021, Gulino said. Last year, she said, nearly 80 percent of the 111 vehicles stolen had car keys or fobs left inside.