After Crashing Fence, Homeowner Follows Suspect Car, Directs Cops: PD

EAST HAVEN, CT — Before dawn Thursday, police were called to a home on Minor Road after receiving reports that a vehicle had crashed into a fence and left the area, East Haven police said.

While officers were en route, East Haven Public Safety Dispatch provided updates, noting that the vehicle was traveling northbound on Hemingway Avenue and was being followed by the homeowner, who had witnessed the incident, according to East Haven police spokesperson Capt. Joseph M. Murgo.

Cops saw the "suspect vehicle, a silver Mercedes-Benz," near Hemingway Avenue and Short Beach Road, with another vehicle following behind, Murgo said. The Mercedes then pulled into the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot on Hemingway, where officers made contact with the driver, later identified as Yordin Roblero, 23, of New Haven, he said.

When Roblero got out of the car, Murgo said officers saw a "black and silver Taurus TPC .380 semi-automatic handgun on the front passenger-side floorboard."

Murgo said that East Haven police Officer Chris Cameron "made the discovery, and Officer Jayden Salgado subsequently took Roblero into custody."

The homeowner, who remained on scene, told police that he had been "watching television when he noticed a silver Mercedes idling in front of his home."

"As the vehicle began to drive away, he observed it strike his white fence before fleeing the area," the homeowner told officers, according to Murgo. So he got in his car and followed the vehicle while relaying the vehicle’s location to East Haven Public Safety Dispatch.

Roblero was charged with Carrying a Pistol Without a Permit, Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, Evading Responsibility and Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Suspended License, Murgo said. – C.G.S. 14-21

Roblero was held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

"While we never encourage residents to place themselves in danger, we commend the homeowner for providing valuable, real-time information that helped lead to the swift apprehension of an individual in possession of an illegal firearm," Murgo said.