Meriden police investigating report of teen girl assaulted

Police are investigating after a girl was assaulted in Meriden on Thursday while she was with a group of several males, including one with a handgun.

Officers first began investigating just before 3 p.m. when they received several 911 calls reporting an assault and a possible kidnapping on Golden Street. Callers said there were about six people involved and that one of them possibly had a handgun, according to the Meriden Police Department.

Police said they responded to the area and found that no one involved was still at the scene. They located an unoccupied vehicle and responded to the address of the registered owner. Once there, officers spoke to a male who said he was involved in the altercation, police said.

Meriden police detectives began assisting in the investigation before it was discovered that the incident had been captured on video surveillance. Upon reviewing the footage, investigators learned that a kidnapping had not occurred, though the video showed that a girl was struck in the head and that one of the males she was with possibly had a gun, according to police.

Police said they continued to investigate in an effort to locate the girl and were assisted by the Waterbury Police Department.

During the investigation, authorities identified a vehicle the girl may have been in and were eventually able to find her in Southington.

According to police, the girl was in a car with several males inside and a handgun.

No one in the vehicle was legally allowed to possess the gun, police said.

Police said investigators discovered that the initial assault had occurred between the girl and a male over an argument involving the vehicle.

“At this time the investigation is ongoing and all parties have been identified,” Meriden Lt. Darrin Mckay said in a statement Thursday.

Mckay encouraged anyone with knowledge of a violent crime to contact the police department’s Major Crimes at 203-630-6253 or mpdtips@ meridenct.gov.