Police have arrested a Hartford man who is accused of attacking a West Hartford man in his 70s after robbing his Bloomfield Avenue home last Thursday.
Tony Villegas, a 37-year-old Hartford man is accused of stealing jewelry and electronics from the victim's home, police said.
It appears he randomly chose the home, which is located in a row of large residences, and entered through an unlocked door.
The 911 call reporting the attack came at 4:30 p.m., but police said Villegas hit the victim with a rock or brick, knocking him unconscious and the attack might have happened an hour or more earlier.
The victim told police he heard a noise on the second floor of his home, and thought his cats knocked something over, but when he went to go see what was happening, he saw a burglar going through the house. It was outside where the confrontation turned violent and escalated when the victim went to take a photo of Villegas' car, police said.
The victim was treated at a local hospital and released.
Officers found Villegas’ 2006 Saturn Vue with New York plates at his girlfriend’s house in East Hartford.
Local
“At the time of the arrest they were about to use heroin when the detectives went in,” Lt. Ted Stoneburner.
Police from West Hartford, East Hartford, Hartford and Waterbury worked together to search areas he’s known to frequent and located him at a friend’s apartment in Hartford.
Villegas has been charged with home invasion, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, first-degree assault on a victim over the age of 60 and third-degree larceny.
Bond was originally set at $1 million, but it was lowered to $800,000 when he was arraigned. A court date of April 19 has been set.
After the violent confrontation, police put out a warning to residents to call police instead of confronting burglars on their own.
