Accused 16-Year-Old Carjacker To Be Tried As Adult In Westport Case

WESTPORT, CT — Giovanni Lopez, the 16-year-old Waterbury teen accused of a violent carjacking in Westport this month, will be tried as an adult due to the home invasion charge he faces, according to authorities.

Lopez and another person beat up a Westport homeowner and stole his Aston Martin convertible in a brazen, daylight attack on Sept. 17 on Bayberry Lane. The other suspect remains at-large; Lopez remains in custody in lieu of bail of $500,000.

In addition to the home invasion charge, Lopez is also facing:

• Strangulation 1st Degree
• Robbery by Carjacking
• Burglary 1st Degree
• Criminal Attempt to Commit Larceny of Motor Vehicle 1st Degree
• Assault 3rd Degree
• Larceny of Motor Vehicle 1st Degree
• Illegal Taking of Payment Card

A third suspect, 39-year-old Berlin resident Derrick McGill, was also arrested in connection with the case, because the stolen Aston Martin was found at his home. He was charged with illegal operation of a "chop shop" and related violations.

McGill is free on bond, and was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. Police found four stolen vehicles at his home, the Aston Martin and a BMW sedan, which were both stolen from Westport.

Police were able to track the Aston Martin and the BMW through mobile devices to the Berlin location — Airpods in one, an iPhone in another, reported the Connecticut Post.

Car theft continues to be a problem in Westport and other Fairfield County communities. In an email to Patch, Westport Police Lt. Eric Woods provided the following statistics on the numbers of car thefts in recent years. Thefts doubled after the pandemic:

• 2016 – 20
• 2017 – 35
• 2018 – 23
• 2019 – 19
• 2020 – 58
• 2021 – 92
• 2022 – 60
• 2023 – 50