2 Suspects Charged In Connection To Violent Mall Attack: Police

STAMFORD, CT — Police said on Monday that two suspects have been charged in connection to a violent attack on a 14-year-old victim that occurred in the Stamford Town Center Mall last Friday.

Capt. Richard Conklin of the Stamford Police Department said Michael Cuevas, 18, of Norwalk, was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy at robbery, second-degree assault and second-degree conspiracy at assault. He was being held in custody on a $100,000 bond.

A 16-year-old from Bridgeport, whose identity will not be released, is the other suspect, according to police. He faces the same four charges as Cuevas, in addition to criminal possession of a firearm, alteration of a firearm, and possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

Conklin said a loaded .380 semi-automatic Jimenez Arms handgun with the serial numbers filed off was found in the 16-year-old's possession, as well as an ounce-and-a-half of marijuana that was packaged for sale. He's being processed as a juvenile and was remanded to custody.

The attack happened around 5:35 p.m. on. July 9 in the seating area near Macy's, Conklin said.

"Our dispatch got some calls from witnesses who said a young man was being beaten in the mall and being punched and kicked in the head," Conklin said. "Some of the witnesses took some pictures and videos."

According to Conklin, the 14-year-old, who is a Stamford resident, was attacked by two individuals who took his cell phone before they fled the area.

Patrol officers quickly arrived on scene and located the victim "in a very disoriented state." Officers were able to get information from the victim, as well as witnesses, who provided photos and videos of the incident. Conklin said officers also pulled security footage from the mall's system.

"During the beating of this 14-year-old victim, the suspects took his cell phone. They were also recording [the beating], videoing it and taking pictures of him as he's in a semi-conscious state on the ground," Conklin said. "One of the suspects had a pistol fall from a fanny pack he was carrying onto the ground. He picked it up and put it back in his fanny pack. They fled the area."

Photos of the suspects were distributed to officers around the city, and Conklin said that a few officers from the narcotics and organized crime units recognized the individuals from earlier in the day on the east side of Stamford.

"Once they saw these pictures, they started in that direction and as luck would have it, they saw these two suspects walking in the area near Seaside Avenue and Sylvan Knoll Road," Conklin said. "They turned around to encounter them and they both started running. The narcotics and organized crime officers chased them a short distance and apprehended both of the parties."

Conklin praised the teamwork between mall security, police, and witnesses who helped identify the suspects.

"This was a very dangerous situation. This was really a recipe for a tragic situation and everybody did a good job on this," Conklin said.

Conklin said the motive for the attack is unclear at the moment.

"We're certainly looking [into the motive]. The victim was transported to the hospital in a very disoriented state, so there will be some followup trying to ascertain what led to this situation. At this point we're not sure," he said.