3 Arrested In SCSU Student Carjacking Case

NEW HAVEN, CT — Three people have been arrested for a carjacking that took place on Oct. 24. A Wintergreen Avenue resident called police and said that three people came to his house and asked for help because they had been robbed and their vehicle was taken.

The victims are students at Southern Connecticut State University. The three drove to the West Rock Ridge State Park Nature Center to talk. Three young men approached them and one grabbed the driver by the neck and held a knife to her throat, said Officer David Hartman, police spokesman.

The other two robbers demanded cash and valuables from the two passengers and threatened to kill them if they didn't comply. The three victims were led to a wooded area while the robbers stole the vehicle and headed toward Hamden.

The SUV was found in an off-campus parking lot on Springside Avenue the following Wednesday and underwent a forensic analysis.

On Nov. 11 members of the Shooting Task Force spotted robbery suspect Angel Garcia, 19, and was taken into custody, Hartman said. On Nov. 16 a 16-year-old suspect was taken to police headquarters by his father to turn himself in.

The last suspect, Ezequiel Gonzalez-Vazquez, 20, was apprehended Nov. 17 at a Hamilton Street apartment.

"All three arrestees were charged with robbery in the first degree, larceny in the second degree, robbery involving an occupied vehicle, and conspiracy to commit all three crimes," Hartman said. "Ezequiel Gonzalez-Vazquez was additionally charged with possession of a dangerous instrument and sexual assault in the fourth degree. The juvenile was additionally charged with carrying a dangerous weapon."

Robbery-Burglary boss Sgt. Gary Hammil praised the unit for a job well done in apprehending the suspects, especially Detective Carlos Conceicao.

“This was an involved case and Carlos [Conceicao] didn’t rest until all three were brought in”, he said.

Image 1 of Gonzalez-Vazquez, Image 2 of Garcia