Hamden teen, 16, sentenced to 1 year in Uber Eats carjacking in Westport

STAMFORD — A Hamden teenager will serve one year in jail after he pleaded guilty to various charges connected to a Westport carjacking in March that left a 64-year-old Uber Eats driver with a traumatic brain injury.

Kerwin Romero, 16, pleaded guilty to firstdegree larceny, interfering with police, engaging police in a pursuit and possessing a pistol without a permit as a part of a deal with prosecutors at the state Superior Court in Stamford Thursday.

Under the deal, Romero received a five-year sentence that will be suspended after he serves one year. Romero will then be placed on probation for five years.

Romero was originally charged with first-degree robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery, first-degree assault of an elderly victim, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault of an elderly victim, criminal possession of a firearm, illegal purchase of a firearm, first-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, thirddegree larceny, stealing a firearm, engaging police in pursuit and reckless driving for his role in a March 5 incident where he and three alleged co-conspirators carjacked an Uber Eats driver in front of a pizza restaurant on Post Road East in Westport.

The 64-year-old driver suffered a traumatic brain injury in the carjacking, according to state prosecutors.

According to Westport police, the Uber Eats driver left her Hyundai running outside as she went into the pizzeria to grab an order; when she returned, she found a person police later identified as Tayvion “Riz” Hart, one of the alleged conspirators, inside her car.

The driver tried to stop the man from escaping in her car, but was thrown to the ground in the process and dragged along the street by the escaping vehicle, according to the warrant.

As Hart escaped in the woman’s car, Kerwin, 17year-old Jason Minor and 18-year-old Giovanni Abreu followed in an Acura that was reported stolen earlier in the day in Hamden.

In two separate cars, Abreu and Hart led police on a high-speed chase on Interstate 95 until around

Exit 29 where Abreu crashed and the three were arrested, police said.

Officers recovered a loaded gun in one of the cars, according to the report.

Abreu and the juvenile faced many of the same charges as Kerwin, except for third-degree larceny. Hart also faces many of the same charges, except for criminal possession of a firearm, illegal purchase of a firearm, stealing a firearm and third-degree larceny.

Abreu recently was sentenced to one year in jail as a part of a similar deal with prosecutors.

The charges against Hart and Minor are still pending. Minor is expected to appear in court on Feb. 15 and Hart is expected to appear on Feb. 1.