A Stop & Shopper tried to make off with $180 of groceries — but couldn’t outrun an extra-duty cop at the store.
A man arrested for domestic violence at the Regal Inn also had a gun confiscated from his Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack.
And when a cat accidentally tripped a home alarm, officers arrived to discover a registered sex offender who hadn’t registered his new address.
Those are some of the highlights of top West Hills/ Westville / West Rock / Beverly Hills/ Amity cop Lt. Rose Dell’s weekly crime roundup.
The report follows:
FROM 7/7/19 to 7/13/19 POLICE RESPONDED TO 211 CALLS FOR SERVICE IN THE WESTVILLE/WEST HILLS SECTION OF NEW HAVEN. THE FOLLOWING IS A BRIEF SUMMARY OF NOTABLE INCIDENTS:
On 7/7, at around 7pm, the dispatcher notified Officers that a gray Acura was seen crashing into Jersey barriers on the highway. The vehicle exited the highway, and the operator was seen at a red light drinking a beer in downtown New Haven. Officer Caitlin Zerella spotted the Acura swerving in and out of his lane while traveling westbound on Fountain Street. The vehicle was pulled over, and the driver admitted that he was drunk. Officers administered numerous tests to determine the driver’s level of intoxication, and the results indicated he was three times the legal limit. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and transported to detention.
This week in Westville there were four reported thefts from motor vehicles. On 7/8, a resident reported that her license plate was stolen off her vehicle that was parked on the 800 block of Whalley Avenue. On the same date, a resident of Alden Avenue found her Michael Kors purse and wallet stolen from her unlocked vehicle. A resident of South Genesee Street had loose change stolen from her Hyundai Sonata on 7/9. The next day a resident of McKinley Avenue reported that sometime in the last week a small amount of cash and some loose change were stolen from her vehicle. PRO TIP: Always remember to lock your vehicles.
On 7/9, at 2 am, police responded to Fowler Street on the report of an auto fire. A resident was asleep when his neighbors woke him up and told him that his car was in flames. He ran outside and extinguished the fire. Fire investigators arrived on scene to process the vehicle.
Thursday morning police responded to Level Street for an intruder in a residence. A female reported that she was sleeping in bed and woke up to find a friend she knows from the neighborhood, standing over her bed, bare chested and sweating, and rubbing her feet with tissues. Fearing for her safety, she grabbed a kitchen knife and chased him out of the house. Officers responded and arrested the male subject, who was high on PCP, for burglary.
Police responded to Catherine Way on 7/11 for the report of gunshots. The victim reported that his ex-wife, who was accompanied by two of her family members, shot at him numerous times with a black gun and then fled in a burgundy sedan. Detectives spotted the vehicle a short time later near Dixwell Avenue and Munson Street. Police chased the vehicle as it fled into Hamden. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed into another occupied vehicle. A firearm was located in the trunk of the vehicle. All occupants were arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Firearm and Attempt to Commit Assault in the first degree.
Officer John Barbetti was hired to work security at Stop and Shop on Amity Road on 7/11. He was in the second floor breakroom when he looked out the window and saw an older white male running from the store with a carriage filled with groceries. He chased after the subject and caught him near the gas station. The subject was arrested for stealing over $180 worth of groceries.
Friday morning a resident of Green Hill Terrace reported that his Toyota Camry was stolen sometime overnight. The keys were not left in the vehicle.
On 7/13, at around 7:30 am, police responded to the Regal Inn on the report of a domestic assault. The victim told Officers that her boyfriend punched her in the face after she looked through his cell phone and found pictures of another woman. She also mentioned that her boyfriend had a gun in the room. Officers located a loaded handgun in a Ninja Turtles backpack under the bed. The boyfriend, who is a convicted felon and on Federal Probation, was arrested for criminal possession of a firearm and domestic violence offenses.
Police responded to Fredrick Street on 7/13 for a residential panic alarm. The resident said that his cat jumped on the Life Alert button, and he was unable to reach the company dispatchers to cancel the call. A records check indicated that the resident had a warrant as a sex offender who has failed to verify his address or provide an updated photo. He was arrested and charged accordingly.
On 7/13, a resident of Vista Terrace reported that her garage was broken into sometime overnight. The side door of the garage had been closed but not locked. Two vehicles parked in the garage had been rifled through and some loose change, a battery car charger and a pair of sunglasses were stolen.