A Bridgeport man is in custody after robbing a gas station at knife point possibly to get money for a birthday present.
According to police, after Stefano Carcino, 25, robbed the Shell Gas Station,4402 Main St., at knife point witnesses remembered the license plate on the car he used to get away.
Police ran the registration of the car and went to the address listed. They also noticed that it was the owner of the car's birthday.
Officers believed that the robber held up the gas station so that he could buy the female owner of the car a birthday present.
On a hunch, the officers drove to the nearby Trumbull Mall. After driving through rows and rows in the parking lot, the officers did not find the vehicle in question.
On their way back to police headquarters, the officers noticed a car matching the description of the car used by the suspect.
The detectives stopped the vehicle and detained the male suspect and his female companion.
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While interviewing the woman, she told police that her and Carcino were en route to the Trumbull Mall so he could buy her a new dress for her birthday.
"This was outstanding work by detectives," said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. "They worked with the leads they had, developed a theory, played a hunch and nailed it. Their instincts were spot on."
