Hartford police arrested a group of teens accused of firing gunshots at a group of people from a passing car.
A police officer on a motor vehicle enforcement detail stopped a tan Nissan Maxima on Vine Street that was speeding and went through a stop sign at Mather and Magnolia streets on Tuesday and learned that it was involved in a drive-by shooting, police said.
Police said Riyin Prude-Fuentes, 19, of Newington, was driving and four boys between 14 and 16 were in the car.
As police were checking on DMV documentation, Hartford dispatchers broadcast that shots had been fired at a group of people standing in front of 500 Albany Avenue from a tan Nissan Maxima with a vertical sun roof.
Believing the car stopped was the one involved in the shooting incident, police called for backup, removed people from the car and a .22 caliber spent shell casing fell from the lap of the a teen sitting in the back passenger side, police said.
As officers searched the vehicle, they found a Ruger .22-caliber rifle with the barrel and stock sawed off in a back pack stuffed beneath the front passenger seat.
Police transported all four juveniles to the Shooting Task Force field office and their parents were notified.
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Police said they determined that the juvenile passenger fired shots from the car at a group of people in the area of Albany Avenue and Bedford Street.
When police searched the area, they found no victims.
Prude-Fuentes was arrested and charged with reckless driving, weapon in motor vehicle and first-degree conspiracy to commit assault.
The three juveniles were transported to the Hartford Police Detention facility for booking and processing.
A 15-year-old Hartford boy was charged with weapon in motor vehicle, first-degree criminal attempt assault, first-degree conspiracy assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm and first-degree reckless endangerment.
A 16-year-old Hartford boy was charged with weapon in motor vehicle, a 14-year-old Windsor boy was charged with weapon in motor vehicle and an 14-year-old Hartford boy was charged with weapon in motor vehicle.
