Jose Sanchez. Photo courtesy of Branford Police
Five people were arrested in Branford before dawn this morning, when police say an officer found them trying to steal items from a used car lot.
Branford Police Captain Geoffrey Morgan says an officer stopped his patrol car to investigate, and shined a light into the lot.
“Five people jumped into two vehicles, backed out onto the roadway very very swiftly, struck officer [Marc] Andrew’s car, and started to travel eastbound on Route 1 at a high rate of speed,” Morgan said.
Both of the cars crashed, and the men and a teenager ran away. Police found four of them immediately, and the fifth after a search.
Those arrested are Emilio Davila, Jose Natal, Gerald Dejesus-Ortiz, Jose Sanchez, and a 15 year old juvenile, all from New Haven. They face charges including larceny and burglary. Police say Sanchez and Davila face additional charges because they were driving the two cars.
Police say both of the crashed cars, and a third car left at the used car lot were all stolen Wednesday night. Police recovered phones, money, GPS units, and stereos stolen from cars.
Officers encourage Branford residents to check thier cars, to see if anything is missing.
