Teen Robbers Found Hiding at Grandma's House: Police

New Haven Police charged two teenagers with robbing a 14-year-old after officers found the boys hiding in a closet at their grandmother’s house in Hamden.

New Haven Police Spokesman Officer David Hartman said that one of the boys is the same teen who struck a New Haven police officer with a stolen car on Oct. 23.

At 9:14 a.m. on Monday, New Haven officers were sent to Columbus Avenue and West Street to speak with the 14-year-old victim of a robbery.

The victim told officers he had been waiting for the bus when he was approached by two young men atop bicycles.

They were wearing facemasks and one held his hand in his jacket pocket in such a manner to suggest he was holding a gun, according to Hartman.

The suspects then made off with the victim’s cell phone and multi-colored “Nike Jordan” sneakers.

Hartman said Officer Scott Shumway took down the descriptions of the suspects and set out to find them.

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About three hours later, Officer Shumway got a call from the victim’s mother. They had activated the phone’s locator and believed the phone was at a specific address on Wintergreen Avenue in Hamden.

Officers from both New Haven and Hamden headed to the address.

Hartman said the door at the address in question was answered by a 79-year-old woman, who allowed Officer Shumway into the house after he explained why they were there.

She allowed officers to search for the phone – which was still signaling it was within the home, according to Hartman.

The woman told officers her grandson stayed with her sometimes but more often at a different address in New Haven. She said he wasn’t home.

He was.

Hartman said officers found him and his brother hiding in a closet in their basement bedroom. Officers also found two black facemasks and the victim’s multi-colored “Nike Jordan” sneakers on the bed.

The clothing the suspects were described wearing was also found, according to Hartman.

Additionally, police recovered “an unusually large number of cell phones.”

Hamden Police told New Haven Officers the two boys had a history of robberies and burglaries in their town, according to Hartman. The juveniles were taken into custody and the property was secured while police secured a search and seizure warrant.

Hartman said one of the boys confessed and implicated his brother as an accomplice. The two were charged with first-degree robbery and taken to the Juvenile Detention Center in Bridgeport.