Teen ID'd As Person Of Interest In Stamford Armed Carjackings: Police

STAMFORD, CT — Stamford police announced on Monday they have identified a person of interest in a string of armed carjackings that occurred recently around the city.

Tyssan Woods, 18, of Waterbury, was arrested by Waterbury police on March 28 and charged with three counts of first-degree larceny, Stamford police said in a news release.

Authorities are working to pursue charges against Woods in Stamford, police said.

"This investigation is very much ongoing and we're anticipating additional arrests," Stamford Assistant Police Chief Richard Conklin told Patch Monday afternoon.

On March 26 at 5:10 a.m. at Hospital Plaza in Stamford, a Lexus was stolen at gunpoint, police said.

Two armed carjackings were reported on March 28, according to police.

The first occurred at approximately 5:30 a.m. in the 130 block of Tresser Boulevard. Police said a man was driving his blue Audi to a nearby gym when he was followed by another car and stopped at gunpoint by a group of men who drove off with his car.

The other incident took place roughly 10 minutes later at the Gulf gas station on East Main Street near the entrance to I-95, police said.

A group of thieves pulled up in what police believe was the stolen blue Audi, and several suspects armed with handguns stole a man's Maserati, police said.

Investigators recovered the cars in Waterbury and processed them for evidence, police said Monday.

"This evidence led to the identification of a person of interest in these crimes," police added. "During a search of Woods' residence in Waterbury, conducted jointly by Waterbury detectives and Stamford Major Crime investigators, two handguns possibly used in the crimes, keys for the stolen vehicles, and other evidence related to recent burglaries committed throughout Fairfield County were recovered."

Police said they are "actively collaborating" with the Stamford State's Attorney's Office to pursue charges against Woods for the carjacking crimes and additional offenses committed in Stamford.

"Our investigators did a very good job. They put this into warp speed due to the danger involved with this. We kind of had an all-hands on deck approach and put a lot of resources into this," Conklin said.

Anyone with relevant information related to the carjackings is encouraged to contact the Stamford Police Department.

The carjackings are part of a recent trend seen throughout Fairfield County, Conklin told Patch last week.

Conklin said crews of thieves, believed to be young men dressed in all black who are mostly armed, appear to be targeting high-end luxury vehicles during the early morning hours between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.

"This appears to be a pattern not only in our city but in many towns in lower Fairfield County. It's been ongoing for several days," Conklin noted.

Conklin said some of these stolen vehicles have been used to smash into ATMs to try and dislodge them, or they're being used to ram into smoke shops in the region.