Fight At Main Street Bar Lead To Gunfire, 2 New Haven Men Charged: PD

EAST HAVEN, CT — Two New Haven men were charged by police following an overnight fight, and gunfire, in a Main Street bar.

It was around 1:30 a.m., when officer Joseph DiNatale, who was on a routine bar-closing patrol, heard several gunshots ring out at Rumba Café, 679 Main St., according to East Haven police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo.

Murgo, the department's spokesperson, said that when other officers got to the nightclub, they saw a "large crowd" leaving the bar and were "met with multiple active fights taking place inside the establishment."

No one was hurt and, Murgo said, the gunshots were fired in the rear of the building into the ceiling.

"Officers quickly developed two suspects involved and detained them while they worked to determine what had transpired," he said. East Haven police K9 Officer Donato Palma and his partner K9 Enzo found two guns hidden under a trash can on an adjoining property, Murgo said. Those guns, he said, were reported stolen out of state.

Police charged Edwin Colon-Perez, 23, of New Haven, and Jose Rodriguez Diaz, 23, also of New Haven.

Colon-Perez was charged with:

• Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree, C.G.S. 53a-63
• Carrying a Pistol w/o a Permit, C.G.S. 29-35(a)(1)
• Breach of Peace in the Second Degree, C.G.S. 53a-181
• Possession of a Controlled Substance (2nd Offense), C.G.S. 21a-279(a)(2)

Colon-Perez was held on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 20 in New Haven.

Rodriguez-Diaz was charged with:

• Breach of Peace in the 2nd Degree, C.G.S. 53a-181
• Interfering with an Officer, C.G.S. 53a-167a

Rodriguez-Diaz was held on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 20 in New Haven.

This investigation remains open, as additional charges are expected, Murgo said.

Anyone with information regarding the events that led up to this altercation is asked to contact detectives at 203-468-3820.