HARTFORD — -
Police got two guns off the street early Sunday and made four related firearms arrests.
The first occurred about 1:30 a.m. when vice and narcotics detectives saw two men in a Cadillac Eldorado exchange a pistol. The Cadillac was parked in a lot at 357 Asylum Ave.
Detectives approached the car and immediately took the driver, Ellis Thomas, 25, of 16 Case St., into custody. The passenger, Kyle Hayes, 21, of 279 Westland St., fled on foot with a handgun, tossed the gun, and got into a waiting GMC Arcadia. The Arcadia sped off but was later found unoccupied at Summit Street and Park Terrace.
Officers tracked down Hayes and took him into custody at 20 Hamilton St.
Thomas and Hayes, who are convicted felons, were each charged with criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, having a weapon with an obliterated serial number, having a weapon in a motor vehicle and interfering with police. Both were held on $750,000 bail.
A short time later, at 1:43 a.m., officers responded to a downtown bar for a report of shots fired and saw two men running north on Church St. The two then got into a car parked in the lot at Church and Ann streets and sped off. Police stopped the car at Main and Church streets, found a revolver and took two men into custody.
Andrew Forbes, 22, of 111 Oakwood St., Windsor Locks, admitted to police that he fired the weapon, said Sgt. Christene Mertes, a police spokeswoman. He was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a firearm, weapons in a motor vehicle, carrying a pistol without a permit and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He was held on $500,000 bail.
Jayson Smith, 23, of 19 Willow St., Bloomfield, was charged with having a weapon in a motor vehicle. He was held on $250,000 bail.
— David Owens
The first occurred about 1:30 a.m. when vice and narcotics detectives saw two men in a Cadillac Eldorado exchange a pistol. The Cadillac was parked in a lot at 357 Asylum Ave.
Detectives approached the car and immediately took the driver, Ellis Thomas, 25, of 16 Case St., into custody. The passenger, Kyle Hayes, 21, of 279 Westland St., fled on foot with a handgun, tossed the gun, and got into a waiting GMC Arcadia. The Arcadia sped off but was later found unoccupied at Summit Street and Park Terrace.
Officers tracked down Hayes and took him into custody at 20 Hamilton St.
Thomas and Hayes, who are convicted felons, were each charged with criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, having a weapon with an obliterated serial number, having a weapon in a motor vehicle and interfering with police. Both were held on $750,000 bail.
A short time later, at 1:43 a.m., officers responded to a downtown bar for a report of shots fired and saw two men running north on Church St. The two then got into a car parked in the lot at Church and Ann streets and sped off. Police stopped the car at Main and Church streets, found a revolver and took two men into custody.
Andrew Forbes, 22, of 111 Oakwood St., Windsor Locks, admitted to police that he fired the weapon, said Sgt. Christene Mertes, a police spokeswoman. He was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a firearm, weapons in a motor vehicle, carrying a pistol without a permit and unlawful discharge of a firearm. He was held on $500,000 bail.
Jayson Smith, 23, of 19 Willow St., Bloomfield, was charged with having a weapon in a motor vehicle. He was held on $250,000 bail.
— David Owens
