Authorities have charged a juvenile in connection with a violent carjacking of an Aston Martin in Westport on Sunday and have recovered the stolen car from an alleged chop shop in Berlin where a 39-year-old was taken into custody on larceny and conspiracy charges.
The Westport Police Department said the two arrests were made following multiple law enforcement agencies conducting search warrants at residences in Berlin and Waterbury on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, in connection with the carjacking in Westport in which police said two people wearing ski masks followed a man to his home where they assaulted him in his garage and stole his luxury sports car after dragging him out of the vehicle.
Video from the targeted carjacking shows one of the suspects punching the victim multiple times after he calls out to someone else in the home to “call the police now.” The victim, who suffered minor injuries and declined medical attention, appeared to be struck by the door of the Aston Martin as one of the suspects backed it out of the garage before both assailants sped away.
The juvenile arrested Tuesday was taken into custody after Westport detectives, the Connecticut State Police Violent Crime Task Force and members of the Waterbury Police Department searched his Waterbury home, reportedly finding “evidence linking him to the carjacking” as well as a handgun with an extended magazine, according to the Westport Police Department. The 16-year-old faces charges of home invasion, first-degree strangulation, robbery by carjacking, first-degree burglary, criminal attempt to commit first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle and third-degree assault.
Westport police said they intended to seek an order to detain the juvenile and that he would be taken to the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center on Tuesday if it were granted. The teen was also charged in connection with a 2021 BMW 530i that was stolen in Westport on Saturday and used in the violent carjacking. He faces charges of first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle and illegal taking of payment card in that matter.
The teen’s arrest came a day after authorities located the stolen Aston Martin during a search at a home in Berlin conducted by the Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force — which includes Westport police officers — and members of Berlin Police Department. A resident of the home, 39-year-old Derrick McGill, was arrested after police found the Aston Martin and three other stolen vehicles, including the BMW used in the carjacking, a BMW stolen in Ridgefield and a Porsche stolen in Rhode Island, Westport police said.
The Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force charged McGill with four counts of first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle and a single count each of conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle, illegal operation of a chop shop, conspiracy to commit illegal operation of a chop shop and payment card theft. Westport police said they have not filed any charges against him in connection with the carjacking on Sunday.
McGill was held on a $250,000 bond following his arrest.
“By utilizing technology, inter-departmental cooperation, and good old fashioned police work, the detective bureau in concert with Bridgeport Auto-theft Task Force was able to make rapid progress in this investigation which resulted in the arrest of one of the suspects less than 36 hours after the incident occurred,” Westport Chief of Police Foti Koskinas said in a statement issued Tuesday.
“As always, the professionalism, expertise and experience of our Westport Police Department, was on full display as they worked diligently and rapidly to solve this case,” Westport First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker said in a statement. “I am also grateful for the assistance from the other state and municipal agencies and the task force who helped bring it to a swift conclusion. Together with our public safety officials, we will continue the conversations and daily practices to deter further incidents, and to make Westport a community that remains safe and welcoming for all.”
