HAMDEN, Conn. — Police say four men and a teen are behind bars after two armed robberies occurred early Monday morning.
Officers responded to the Citgo on State Street shortly after 1 a.m. for the report of an armed robbery.
They learned that three men with guns approached two store employees emptying the trash, ordered them back into the store and demanded money.
According to reports, two gunmen “placed the barrel of their handguns to the head of one of the employees, as he emptied the cash drawer.
Police say the three men, wearing masks, ran from the scene towards Franklin Road. Not even an hour later, officers responded to Krauszer’s Food Store on Whitney Avenue for the report of three armed gunmen entering the store with “guns drawn.”
Employees at this second location were also demanded to hand over money.
One employees was placed in a “headlock”, with a gun pointed at his head, they told officers.
It is unknown how much money the robbers left the scene with.
In an attempt to find the suspect vehicle, police proceeded to travel southbound on Route 15.
When the driver of the suspect vehicle spotted a Hamden PD cruiser at a Phillips 66 Gas Station in Woodbridge, proceeded to “cut in front of the officer and nearly colliding with his cruiser.”
The officer pursued the suspects on Route 15 in Woodbridge into Orange, West Haven and New Haven.
After coming to a stop at the intersection of Winchester and Goodrich in Hamden, the five gunmen ran from the scene. However, officers located and arrested them all.
Sergeant Jason Venditto and his K-9 partner “Knight” conducted an evidence recovery search and located three firearms that were hidden under snow.
One suspect, a 17-year-old New Haven resident, was remanded to the custody of the Juvenile Detention Center in Bridgeport. He was charged with 2 counts of 1st degree Robbery in the 1st Degree, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the 1st Degree (2 counts) and Carrying a Pistol without a Permit (2 counts).
The other four suspects were identified as:
Justice Bryant, 18, of New Haven
- He was charged with Robbery in the 1st Degree (2 counts), Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the 1st Degree (2 counts), Carrying a Pistol without a Permit (2 counts) and Illegal Alteration of a Firearm (2 counts). He was detained on a $100,000.00 bond.
Frankie Tyson, 18, of Hamden
- He was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the 1st Degree (2 counts), Larceny in the 1st Degree, Engaging an Officer in Pursuit and Reckless Driving. He was detained on a $100,000.00 bond.
Mekhi Phelmetta, 18, of Hamden
- He was charged with Robbery in the 1st Degree (2 counts), Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the 1st Degree and Carrying a Pistol without a Permit (2 counts). He was detained on a $500,000.00 bond.
Timaree Fields, 18, of New Haven
- He was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the 1st Degree (2 counts). He was detained on a $100,000.00 bond.
Officials say Bryant, Tyson, Phelmetta and Fields are scheduled to appear at Meriden Superior Court on April 5.
