Suspects Accused Of Knifepoint Robbery In Bridgeport: Police

BRIDGEPORT, CT — Two men have been arrested in connection with a knifepoint robbery Thursday morning at the Gala Foods Supermarket in Bridgeport, according to authorities.

Arrested was North Haven resident Osvaldo Beard-Beltran, 30, on charges of:

• Robbery, second degree
• Carrying a dangerous weapon
• Assault, third degree
• Threatening, second degree
• Breach of peace, second degree
• Larceny, sixth degree
• Illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle
• Engaging police in a pursuit

Also arrested was New Haven resident Giovanni Rivera, 35, on charges of:

• Conspiracy to commit robbery, second degree
• Illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle
• Conspiracy to commit larceny, sixth degree

The incident began when police were notified of a robbery at the store at 1457 Fairfield Ave.

"At approximately 9:30 a.m. Thursday, the two men began to walk out of the store without paying for approximately $500 in meat they placed in a shopping cart - some of which was cut for them by a butcher," wrote Bridgeport Police Det. Jeffrey Holtz in a statement. "When an employee attempted to stop them, Beard-Beltran pushed the shopping cart out of that employee's grasp, pulled a large knife from his waistband, and slammed the knife down on the shopping cart.

"A second employee confronted the suspects outside when they were loading the stolen meat into a white Volvo. Beard-Beltran then pointed the knife at that employee and threatened him."

The two then fled in the Volvo and were spotted by police on Bridgeport's East Side. A Gala Foods employee suffered a minor hand injury when Beard-Beltran pushed the shopping cart out of his hand, according to Holtz.

"Bridgeport Police and the Connecticut State Police pursued the Volvo on Route 8, the Merritt Parkway, and the Wilbur Cross Parkway until it crashed into a UPS truck on a local street in Woodbridge," Holtz said. "Beard-Beltran fled to a nearby car occupied by a woman driver and attempted to open the driver's side door. He was unsuccessful and was taken into custody. Rivera was arrested at the scene of the crash."

The suspected knife used in the robbery was found in the Volvo, and Woodbridge police are investigating the crash and the incident with the female driver.

Bridgeport police believe the suspects sold the meat to a smaller store in the city before they were arrested; the case remains under investigation.

Beard-Beltran was held in lieu of bail of $100,000, and Rivera was held in lieu of bail of $50,000. Both are scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court at a later date.