NY Robbery Suspects Chased To Stamford, 2 People In Custody: Police

STAMFORD, CT — Two robbery suspects are in custody after a chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies crossed state lines into Stamford on Wednesday afternoon, according to Stamford Police.

Stamford Assistant Police Chief Richard Conklin told Patch that according to preliminary information, an off-duty New York City police officer was recently beaten and robbed by a group of people, and two of the suspects fled into Westchester County on Wednesday afternoon, crossed over into Greenwich and ultimately Stamford.

The occupants of the suspect vehicle, a black BMW X3 wanted in connection with the robbery, were found hiding in private yards in Stamford near the Merritt Parkway, according Sgt. Jeffrey Booth of the Stamford Police Department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad.

The driver of the BMW was identified as Jonser Hernandez, and the passenger was identified as Betsy Bermudez, both 27 years old and from the Bronx, N.Y.

It was not immediately known Wednesday evening what Hernandez and Bermudez were charged with.

Conklin said he believes the robbery occurred in the Bronx, but stressed information was preliminary and that "there were a lot of moving parts" as the chase unfolded.

Booth said New York officers located the vehicle and attempted to stop it, but the driver refused and a pursuit began.

Several law enforcement agencies were involved in the pursuit, including the Westchester County Aviation Unit, Booth said, noting that when the pursuit entered into Connecticut, the suspect vehicle was located by a Connecticut State Police Trooper when it exited the I-95 entrance ramp from Canal Street going the wrong way at South State Street

The trooper located the BMW on Canal Street at North State Street and initiated a pursuit, according to Booth, but the vehicle did not stop and entered Summer Street from the wrong way.

At the intersection of Summer Street and Hoyt Street, the suspect vehicle continued northbound through the left southbound travel lane, and as the trooper attempted to follow the vehicle, the trooper was struck by a Toyota SUV that was traveling westbound on Hoyt Street attempting to cross Summer, Booth said.

After the impact, the CSP vehicle struck a Sprinter van, which then rotated and hit a parked Jeep Wrangler, Booth said. The CSP vehicle then came to rest after striking the front end of a Honda SUV.

The CSP Trooper, along with the operators of the Toyota, Sprinter and the Honda, were all taken to Stamford Hospital by Stamford EMS for non life-threatening injuries, Booth said. All of the vehicles involved suffered "heavy damage" and had to be towed from the scene.

The BMW continued operating "recklessly" through Stamford up to the area of Wire Mill Road and Clay Hill Road, and it entered the Merritt Parkway northbound, according to police. Once on the parkway, Hernandez and Bermudez abandoned the BMW and fled on foot into the woods, police said.

"A large contingent of many units of Stamford officers, patrol, narcotics, K-9, and many other units, assisted by Greenwich, New York State Police, NYPD, and Connecticut State Police, set up a perimeter and did a search," Conklin said, adding that an NYPD helicopter provided assistance. A drone was also deployed.

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Hernandez and Bermudez were eventually located and arrested, and later taken to CSP Troop G, Booth said.

Stamford Public Safety posted shortly before 3:30 p.m. that there was "heavy police activity" in the area of Summer Street and Hoyt Street, as well as Long Ridge Road, Wire Mill Road and Clay Hill Road.

Public Safety officials said there is no danger to the public, although authorities will be involved in "an extended police incident."

Stamford Police are continuing to investigate the vehicle collision that occurred at the intersection of Summer Street at Hoyt Street. There are no charges being filed in relation to the collision at this time, Booth said.