Arrests Made In Fairfield Parking Lot Takeover: Police

FAIRFIELD, CT — Four people have been arrested, and three vehicles seized by authorities, in connection with the May 2 parking lot takeover at the Stop & Shop on Villa Avenue in Fairfield, Fairfield police announced during a news conference at police headquarters on Friday.

At least 75 vehicles were in the parking lot that night, with several doing wild stunts on the pavement, some of which was filmed and posted on social media. See clips from the posts in a compilation video below, posted on the Fairfield Police Facebook page.

"The scene resembled a street takeover, with drivers performing dangerous stunts such as donuts, burnouts, and fishtails, effectively taking over the private lot and creating a hazardous environment," said Police Chief Robert Kalamaras on Friday.

At one point a fire was ignited in the lot, which was later extinguished. The lot sustained minor damage, according to police, but no injuries were reported.

— A GMC Sierra pickup truck, one of the vehicles seized as evidence by Fairfield police in connection with the recent parking lot takeover case. Photo credit: Fairfield Police Department

Fairfield police turned to social media and established a task force, which included some officers who responded to the initial incident, to track down whom the department believes were the main instigators.

"Working with our state's attorney’s office, this group utilized the evidence collected from the night of the incident to identify and track down the primary offenders involved," Kalamaras said.

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Warrants were obtained, and the suspects, who are all free after posting bail, were arrested over the past few weeks.

Arrested were:

David Romero, 20, of East Windsor, who was charged with the following:

• Illegal Racing on Highway
• Conspiracy to Commit Illegal Racing on a Highway
• Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree
• Breach of Peace
• Riot 2nd Degree
• Unlawful Assembly
• Reckless Driving
• Failure to Display Plates
• Operation Causing Unnecessary Noise
• Unsafe Movement of Stopped Vehicle

His mother, Wanda Romero, also of East Windsor, was also arrested on charges of:

• Tampering with Physical Evidence
• Interfering with Police

She was not at the incident, but was accused of illegal actions afterward.

The third person accused in the case was Dilmar Ruano-Barrera, 26, of Stamford, who was arrested on charges of:

• Illegal Racing on Highway
• Conspiracy to Commit Illegal Racing on a Highway
• Reckless Endangerment 1st Degree
• Breach of Peace
• Riot 2nd Degree
• Unlawful Assembly
• Reckless Driving
• Operating a MV Creating Unnecessary Noise
• Unsafe Movement from a Stopped Position

— A Dodge Charger Daytona, another of the vehicles seized as evidence by Fairfield police in connection with the recent parking lot takeover case. Photo credit: Fairfield Police Department

The fourth individual in the case, Christopher McGirl, 20, of Wallingford, was arrested on a charge of Illegal Racing on Highway.

David Romero owns the seized Dodge; Ruano-Barrera, the Mustang; and McGirl, the pickup truck. When, or if, the three will get their vehicles back is not known. The four suspects appeared in court for the first time on Friday.

Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber praised the officers who responded to the scene on May 2, for showing "great mental toughness and maturity" in how they delt with the situation.

One patrol officer saw the crowd gathering in the parking lot and radioed for backup. Other officers were involved in other emergency calls, so the officer remained on-scene until backup could arrive, and then worked to disperse the group.

"Their meticulous training allowed them to, in the midst of a tense situation, think clearly and make the appropriate risk-benefit assessments, determining that use of force would have created additional risk to police officers, innocent bystanders and young lawbreakers alike," Gerber said, during Friday's news conference. "Knowing that drivers fleeing a scene like this will accelerate and drive even more recklessly, our officers prioritized public safety. They knew, because of their intelligence, maturity and training, that prioritizing the collection of evidence would allow them to be successful in resolving this case without exposing people to additional, unneeded risk."

Assisting Fairfield police with the investigation were the Connecticut State's Attorney's Office; Connecticut State Police; the National Insurance Crime Bureau; and the police departments of Stamford, Stratford, Wallingford, and East Windsor, all of which Kalamaras thanked for their help.

"We would also like to extend a special thanks to our community far and wide who assisted in this investigation by sending videos which directly helped aid in our investigation," Kalamaras said. "This case illustrates the importance of coordinated law enforcement efforts and working closely with our community and law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable."