NAUGATUCK, CT — A 19-year-old West Haven man was arrested and two juveniles were taken into custody after a report of attempted car break-ins led Naugatuck police to a stolen handgun, authorities said.
Police were called to Simsberry Road on Aug. 12 after a homeowner reported seeing three men trying to break into her car, according to the Naugatuck Police Department.
Officers located a vehicle in the area and found a backpack containing the stolen handgun, police said. The gun's serial number had been removed, and it was fitted with a device commonly known as a "Glock switch" and an extended magazine.
Police said the device can allow certain handguns to fire automatically. Investigators also found evidence they said was connected to additional car break-ins.
Cristofer Quelix-Perez, 19, of West Haven, was charged with illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, carrying a pistol without a permit, illegal alteration of a firearm, sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny.
Police said Quelix-Perez was held on $20,000 cash/surety bond and was scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 13 in Waterbury Superior Court.
Two juvenile males, ages 16 and 17, both from the New Haven area, were also arrested in connection with the incident. Their names and specific charges were not released. Both were taken to Bridgeport Juvenile Detention, police said.
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