New Haven Police Seize 8 Guns; Make 9 Nine Arrests

NEW HAVEN, CT — Police recently seized eight guns and made nine arrests in areas where recent violence has occurred. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also took on new gun cases which led to federal arrests this week by the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the FBI.

Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson said in a statement: “These gun arrests helped stop violence and saved lives. Detectives and officers are working extremely hard to assist in efforts with community members to stop violence in New Haven. We ask that community members contact the police department when illegal guns are being displayed. In many of these cases, community members called the police and officers were able to safely take people into custody and get the guns off the streets. These actions save lives and I want to thank the efforts of the detectives and the officers as well as the assistance received from the community.”

According to police, arrests occurred on the following dates:

July 26: Carlos Lopez, 25, was arrested on Grand Avenue following a domestic dispute in which a gun was used. Lopez is accused of sticking a gun in a victim's mouth and fleeing in a Toyota Corolla.

July 28: Antonio Allen, 18, was arrested at the Valley Street Townhouses on charges that he had a Ruger .380 caliber handgun with an obliterated serial number. Allen did not have a valid permit for the gun.

July 31: An FBI Task Force officer received information there were several males from the “Exit 8” group carrying guns in the parking lot of the Essex Townhouses on Quinnipiac Avenue. Jaquan Gray, 26, was arrested.

Officers found he had a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun stolen out of Hamden.

Denzel Suggs, 26, was also arrested in this incident for possessing a handgun. Both Suggs and Gray are convicted felons.

Aug. 2: Angel Viera, 27, and Joshwua Figueroa , 27, was arrested after police received information that there were two men in a car on Greenwich Avenue with a shotgun in the car. Police found the two men in a Kia Sedan with a Mossberg 12 gauge loaded with seven shotgun shells. Both men are convicted felons.

Aug. 2: Police stopped a fleeing vehicle at Howard Avenue and Second Street. The driver, Brandon Mendoza, 28, had a Norinco Model 54 pistol with 7.62x25 caliber rounds in the ammunition magazine.

Aug. 5: Paul Witherspoon, 22, of Hamden, was rrested after police found a loaded, sawed-off shotgun in his car during a traffic stop on Dixwell Avenue.

Aug.5: Marquay Foster, 18, was found with a loaded black firearm HK VP 9mm with a tactical light along with multiple forms of ammunition.