Teen sentenced to 5 years for charges stemming from armed robberies, holdups

BRIDGEPORT — A 16-year-old boy, who police said went on a crime spree, robbing Fairfield teachers at gunpoint and then holding up gas stations across the shoreline, was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.

Justin Brown, already had an extensive juvenile record according to police when they said he went on the spree in 2021.

His crimes spurred Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick to call on Gov. Ned Lamont to request a special legislative session to address juvenile justice laws.

“It is fortunate that no one was injured in these incidents, but if this isn’t a wakeup call to the state legislature that they need to review the current laws surrounding juvenile justice, I don’t know what is,” she said at the time.

Under a plea bargain, Brown, of Ellsworth Street, New Haven, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery in the Fairfield case.

His other cases in Norwalk, New Haven, Branford, Clinton and Westbrook are sealed because Brown is being prosecuted as a juvenile in the other jurisdictions.

Brown stood stiff and emotionless as his sobbing parents, who haven’t seen him since his arrest, hugged him in the courtroom.

“It’s hard to give Justin Brown any consideration considering the amount of criminal activity,” Superior Court Judge Kevin Russo said. “I can see he still has a propensity for violence.”

However, the judge continued he is required to take into consideration the defendant’s young age and studies that show his brain is not yet fully developed in imposing a sentence.

He then sentenced Brown to 12 years, suspended after he serves five years in prison and followed by five years of probation.

According to police, on the morning of Nov. 3, 2021, two female teachers of The Southport School had parked their cars and were walking into the school when they were confronted by Brown who pointed a silver handgun at them and demanded their cell phones and backpacks.

Police said Brown also grabbed one of the teacher’s lunch bags before fleeing.

Officers with a dog combed the area for the suspect but were unable to find him. However, police said a witness saw a man matching Brown’s description driving away from the scene in a dark-colored Toyota sedan.

Police said earlier that morning that sedan was reported stolen at gunpoint in Norwalk.

Police aid they subsequently began receiving reports of gunpoint robberies first at a Shell gas station in Branford, then another Shell station in Clinton and then a Mobil station in Westbrook.

In each case police said a young man pointed a silver handgun at an employee and demanded money. The suspect fled in the darkcolored Toyota sedan.

Police said the New Haven Police Department’s SWAT team later went to Brown’s home after the getaway vehicle was spotted outside.

They managed to convince Brown to surrender, police said but as he came out of the house he spit on officers.