MERIDEN, Conn. — Three juveniles are in the Bridgeport Detention Center after police said they may be connected to a string of robberies happening Monday in New Haven County.
Hamden, Wallingford, and Meriden police all said they got hit with robberies within hours of one another, and they believe the same group of people is involved.
"This was a case that was multiple jurisdictions," said Lt. Darrin McKay with the Meriden police department.
The three juveniles have been arrested and charged with Robbery, Assault, and Reckless Endangerment, among other things.
"The unfortunate thing is a lot of these crimes are being perpetrated by juveniles. And that’s a problem we’re seeing right now," said Lt. McKay.
In Hamden, police said their first call came in at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. The complainant was at the Hamden plaza near Panera, telling the officer his son was just assaulted on Mix Ave. while waiting for a bus. The boy told police that a car approached him, six people got out, assaulted him and stole his phone.
Within an hour of that incident, Wallingford police started getting calls for reports of robberies. At 1:37 p.m., they responded to a report of a robbery at the Walmart in town, where a woman fell as someone in a silver car was taking her purse. While officers were responding to that incident, they got another report of a woman whose purse was stolen by someone in a car near ShopRite. Moments later, a man at Cumberland Farms reported that his 2017 Toyota Prius was stolen.
"Information obtained from witnesses linked the theft of the Prius to the silver vehicle that was believed to be responsible for the previous two purse snatchings in the area," police officials said.
But it didn't stop there.
Again in Hamden, there was another report of a robbery. At 6:30 p.m., Hamden police said a 64-year-old woman was walking to her car in the Walmart parking lot when a car approached her and someone tried to steal her purse. They ended up dragging her to the ground and were not able to steal it from her.
Two more purse snatchings with a similar scene then played out hours later in Meriden. At 8:30 p.m., Meriden police said a woman was carrying items to her car in the Townline Square plaza when the aforementioned Prius approached her, getting dangerously close, tried to steal her purse, and eventually stole her shopping bag. Minutes later, police said another robbery happened at the Stop and Shop plaza, where another woman was dragged by her purse on the ground shortly before the suspects stole it and drove off.
Eventually, with all hands on deck, police found the stolen car on the Berlin Turnpike in Meriden, engaged in a short pursuit, and arrested three people inside.
Due to the ages of the suspects, their identities cannot be released. To report tips for violent crimes, email the Major Crimes Unit at mpdtips@meridenct.gov or call 203-630-6253.
Hamden Police and Wallingford Police are also asking anyone who saw anything to give them a call.
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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