New Haven police made two arrests and plan to file charges against another man after investigating a gas station robbery, a crash involving a pedestrian and a fight that are all connected, according to police.
Police said investigating what they called a “messy trail of criminal activity” perpetrated by men in the same black Audi around 9 p.m.
They had received a report of an armed robbery at the Best Gas Station at 308 Whalley Ave. and two victims said two men confronted them when they pulled up to the gas pumps.
One robber was holding a gun and demanded their money. One victim handed over his wallet and one of the robbers reached in and took the $6 in cash it held, police said.
The victims told police that the men got into a black Audi and provided the license plate and the car’s last known direction.
As police searched for the car, another officer was searching for clues near the Fair Haven Middle School, where a pedestrian was struck by the same black Audi, police said.
Police identified the owner of the car as Harold Whitley, of County Street.
They went to the house, but the car was not there.
At 10:10 p.m., the Audi passed by De Gale Field on Sherman Parkway, where a police officer was waiting in a darkened corner, based on a hunch, and went after the car, police said.
As the Audi pulled over in front of 76 Henry St., police converged on it.
They found what looked like a bullet hole through the Audi emblem on the back of the car. Inside were three people.
One person provided three fake named before identifying himself as Dennis Atkinson, 28, of Valley Street in New Haven, police said.
He claimed he'd lied to cover up his outstanding first-degree escape from custody and drug warrant from State Police, New Haven police said.
Police said Shaun Williams, 39, of Hamilton Street in New Haven, had blood on his sleeve when asked and told the officer that he should have known that his “boy" was jumped in Fair Haven, but would not elaborate, police said.
Whitley told police he became involved when he'd received a call from his “brother,” claiming he'd been robbed on Whalley Avenue and needed a ride from Fair Haven to the hospital, police said.
He said he dropped "Andre," who was “like his brother,” off a block from the emergency room at St. Raphael's campus of Yale-New Haven Hospital because he did not want his car to be involved, police said.
As the Audi sped off, someone was hit by the car, but not seriously hurt, police said.
Whitley said he did not know Andre’s last name.
A sergeant identified "Andre" as Andre Huckabee, who had been beaten up at The Grand Cafe on Grand Avenue, loaded into the Audi and taken near the hospital.
Whittley's Audi was impounded as evidence and Whittley was arrested on an outstanding warrant.
Police said the two victims of the robbery at the gas station identified Atkinson as the gunman and Williams as the other robber. They said they had not seen Whittley there.
Atkinson was charged with robbery in the first degree, larceny in the second degree, two counts of conspiracy, interfering with police and three counts of criminal impersonation.
Shawn Williams was charged with robbery in the first degree, larceny in the second degree and two counts of conspiracy.
Huckabee, 36, will be charged with criminal impersonation, said police. He's also got an outstanding warrant out of Massachusetts for stealing a car.
