WATERBURY, Conn. — Two teens connected to attempted carjackings and armed robberies in Wolcott and Waterbury on Thursday have been arrested, Waterbury police said.
Around 1 p.m. Thursday, Wolcott police responded to a carjacking on Chicory Drive. The vehicle owner left the car running as she went into her house to get something, and someone started to drive away in her car when she came back outside, police said.
The woman ran toward the car but someone inside the car pointed what appeared to be a gun at her and told her to back off, which she did.
"These criminals...young criminals, older criminals, they will search around, drive through neighborhoods, looking for opportunities," said Chief Edward Stephens with the Wolcott Police Department.
A neighborhood ring camera caught some of the incident on camera, and when police got there, they searched for the suspects.
"We didn't have any luck but as always, you know, usually a couple of hours later, we're going to come across the car or another neighboring town is going to come across," Chief Stephens said.
That's exactly what the police said happened. A few hours later, at 4:42 p.m., Waterbury police located the stolen vehicle in the area of Pine Street and Byrneside Avenue.
The vehicle was involved in another attempted carjacking and shots fired incident in Waterbury. Police tried to stop the CRV, but it drove away recklessly until it crashed into a police cruiser and another car at the intersection of Kingsbury and North Elm streets.
Both suspects, a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old were taken into custody and a 9mm pistol was found in the CRV.
The 16-year-old was well-known to police for similar crimes in the past.
"These criminals that are out there, whether they're juveniles or adults, they feel nothing is going to happen to them, so they continuously do it," Chief Stephens said.
Chief Stephens, and others in law enforcement across the state, are frustrated with this trend. He said police are limited with who they can go after and when. And they continuously see a small group of repeat offenders.
"There's no in-between for these kids to keep them on the straight and narrow," Chief Stephens said.
And, he believes it's not just making things hard for police.
"But it's the poor victims. It's the homeowners. It's the people on the street. You know, my heart goes out to them. You know this poor girl who was ready to go on vacation has her car stolen, her money taken, her pocketbook, she has to replace all that," Chief Stephens said.
The neighbors on Chicory Dr. in Wolcott are also concerned about what happened. In fact, one man showed FOX61 a video from his driveway where, on Sunday, someone was caught checking his cars on the same street to see if they were unlocked.
"I'm mortified! Mortified! And parents, where are your kids, why aren't you watching them," said Ellen Mercier, a nearby neighbor.
"I was shocked because I was in and out all day yesterday, with my car running," said Candi Sylvester, who lives on Chicory Dr.
The 16-year-old was identified as the driver of the car and is facing several charges from Waterbury Police, including Weapons in a Motor Vehicle, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, Illegal Transfer of a Pistol / Revolver, Theft of a Motor Vehicle, Interfering with a Police Officer, Engaging Police in a Pursuit, Evading Responsibility, Reckless Driving and additional motor vehicle-related offenses.
The 14-year-old is facing charges including Weapons in a Motor Vehicle, Carrying a Pistol/Revolver without a Permit, Illegal Transfer of a Pistol/ Revolver, Theft of a Motor Vehicle and Interfering with a Police Officer.
The teens will also face charges from Wolcott police, which have not been announced at this time.
There were no injuries reported in this incident.
“Great police work by our officers to locate and take into custody both juvenile offenders, one of them being a repeat offender known to WPD. Both juvenile offenders were engaged in violent crimes not only in our city but also a neighboring community and now need to be held accountable for their actions by our judicial system," said Waterbury Police Chief, Fernando Spagnolo.
Julia LeBlanc is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jleblanc@fox61.com Follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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