Bridgeport police arrested a 30-year-old man connected to two commercial robberies in the city and are investigating whether he is tied to robberies in nearby towns.
Bridgeport detectives who are members of the U.S. Marshal's Violent Crime Fugitive Task Force found Terrence Police hiding in a third-floor bedroom in a home on Arch Street in Ansonia and arrested him, police said.
Police is suspected in an Aug. 4 robbery at the Success market at 536 Success Avenue and another one on Aug. 6 at Oasis market at 629 Connecticut Avenue in Bridgeport, police said.
Police said that the suspect, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, demanded money at gunpoint at both locations. Bridgeport detectives obtained video surveillance of the two robberies and showed it to the public to help find the suspect.
“This person was responsible for at least two robberies in our city and possibly more in other towns,” Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. said in a statement. “Our detectives have received training from the FBI on techniques for securing video footage and quickly getting it out to the public, and it is paying dividends. The community has stepped forward and provided valuable information in this case and others. We’ve taken dangerous people off the street.”
The suspect has a history of felony charges, including first-degree assault and first-degree robbery, police said.
He was charged with two counts each of first-degree robbery, carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal possession of a firearm by a felon in the Bridgeport robberies, as well as violation of probation, police said.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch applauded the police department's apprehension of the suspect in the two robberies.
"Kudos to the police who work hard every single day to keep our streets safe for kids and families,” Finch said in a statement. “This is one more criminal we're taking off of our streets. And, we're remaining vigilant in continuing efforts to decrease our city's crime rate, which is lower than it has been in decades.”
