West Hartford and Hartford Police Apprehend Teens after Armed Robbery Attempt and Pursuit

One of the teens charged, a 17-year-old from Hartford, already had two outstanding felony arrest warrants involving firearms.

By Ronni Newton

Hartford and West Hartford Police worked together to apprehend several suspects in a stolen car who allegedly tried to rob a suspect at gunpoint on Sunday and then chased the victim from Hartford into West Hartford.

According to Hartford Police Department Deputy Chief Brian Foley, the victim in Sunday’s incident, a 53-year-old Bloomfield man, told police that he was the subject of an attempted armed robbery near Enfield and Greenfield streets. Police said the man fled the scene by car into West Hartford, pursued by the armed suspects, and he reached a West Hartford fire station where he called police.

West Hartford Police pursued the suspects’ vehicle, which they said had been stolen, back into Hartford. The vehicle was stopped at the rear of 232 Westland Street, police said. Three suspects attempted to flee but were apprehended immediately by officers from West Hartford and Hartford.

Police said they believe that the suspects were involved in a robbery that had just occurred in Hartford as well as several West Hartford robberies which are under investigation.

One of the suspects arrested was a 17-year-old male juvenile, who had two other felony arrest warrants outstanding, police said.

Police said the other teen involved in the incident was Deshawn Fitzpatrick, 19, of Tolland Turnpike in East Hartford.

Police said that the third suspect who was in the vehicle, a 44-year-old man, is a convicted felon with 54 prior arrests in Hartford. He was not named by police and was not arrested but rather was “released pending further investigation,” police said.

Fitzpatrick was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal attempted robbery, reckless driving, engaging police in pursuit, third-degree larceny, evading responsibility, second-degree criminal mischief, and interfering with police.

The juvenile was charged in the Oct. 8 incident with conspiracy to commit first-degree criminal attempted robbery, interfering with police, and possession of a cannabis substance.

According to police, the juvenile, who has been turned over to the Juvenile Detention Center, had two outstanding felony arrest warrants with orders to be taken into custody. Both cases involved firearms.

One case, police said, involved an Aug. 8 robbery occurred on Cabot Street in Hartford. The suspect, who was with two others, held a gun toward the head of a victim who was standing on his porch with a friend and robbed him of his wallet, a bracelet, an iPhone, and cash.

Police said that Juvenile Superior Court approved a warrant for the juvenile suspect on Sept. 25, on charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny related to the Cabot Street incident.

A warrant for the same juvenile was outstanding related to a case involving a shooting. Police said a male victim was found just after 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 lying on the sidewalk in the area of Kent Street. The victim had been shot in his shoulder, back, and foot, and told police that a male suspect had approached him to purchase marijuana and when the victim did not comply and attempted to flee, the suspect shot him.

Police said that on Sept. 25 Juvenile Superior Court also approved a warrant for the juvenile suspect in the Kent Street case, with charges of home invasion, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

According to Foley, since 2015 the juvenile suspect has had several other referrals to juvenile court. “Considering the his criminal and violent pattern, upon his release, the juvenile will likely be a danger to himself and others, as well as a highly probable target for retaliation,” Foley said in an email.

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