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Arrest made in West Hartford police chase after stolen car plowed into multiple vehicles

After going a mile and a half, the BMW "plowed through" several cars on Park Street near Parkville Market, before the suspects got out of the car and ran off.

HARTFORD, Conn. — A serial carjacking suspect was apprehended Friday, but not before he led police on a brief chase that left a path of destruction.

Hartford Police have arrested 18-year-old Jadin Roberts of Hartford for his alleged role in several armed carjackings across Connecticut. It started on Hillside Ave in Hartford on Thursday. A resident Roberts rummaging through his BMW SUV. 

“The suspect observed him come out to the vehicle, held him at gunpoint, demanded his keys. Went back in the house and obviously, his car was stolen,” remarked Hartford Police Lt. Aaron Boisvert.

Roberts then allegedly took that stolen BMW and an unknown accomplice to the UConn Storrs campus where the two men approached two students in their vehicle in the Novello parking lot of the Hilltop Apartments. They showed their guns and stole the student’s Chevy Trax SUV before making a getaway.  

“It was a huge surprise to hear about that. I’m not even sure where to start. I feel like this is generally a really safe campus and I always feel safe here,” said UConn student Olivia Dunnack.

Fast forward to Friday morning on New Park Ave in West Hartford. A police officer spotted the stolen BMW and chased it about a mile into Hartford where, along the way, the suspect crashed into two vehicles and nearly hit a school bus. 

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“That turned into a foot pursuit. He was ultimately taken into custody by members of the Great Hartford Regional Auto Theft Task Force,” remarked Lt. Boisvert.

Hartford Police told FOX61 Roberts spit in the face of a police officer and was found to possess an illegal, unserialized, ghost gun. 

“We had 58 ghost guns recovered last year alone. That’s up quite a bit from the year prior,” said Boisvert.

“I’m definitely glad to know that at least one of them is off the streets. It makes me feel at least a little bit safer,” said Dunnack.

Police remain vigilant for the second suspect who is also believed to be in his teens or early 20s. Police still have not recovered the stolen Chevy from UConn. Hartford Police say last year they took a total of 367 illegal firearms off the streets.

Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Brooke Griffin is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at bgriffin@fox61.com. Follow her on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram.

Leah Myers is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at lmyers@fox61.com

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