Police: One adult, one juvenile face charges in connection with CT armed robbery spree

One adult and a juvenile face robbery and firearm charges after police say they went on an armed robbery spree in New Haven on Wednesday, robbing four businesses in as many hours.

Christian Deleon, 21 of New Haven, and the juvenile were apprehended during a traffic stop on Middletown Avenue near Foxon Boulevard where officers saw one of them throw a handgun out of the vehicle, according to the New Haven Police Department.

Police discovered the vehicle had been stolen and were able to recover the gun that was ditched. They also found that the juvenile has a warrant for his arrest for a prior robbery.

New Haven police said the vehicle the pair was found in had been linked to a robbery spree that began unfolding at about 4:02 a.m. at the New Haven Inn located at 100 Pond Lily Ave. There, two suspects, one of them armed with a firearm, demanded the clerk open the door, but the suspects fled without taking anything when the clerk refused, police said.

Then at about 4:46 a.m., police responded to the McDonald’s at 1094 Whalley Ave. where they believe the same suspects made off with a cash register drawer with about $70 inside.

Less than an hour later, at about 5:41 a.m., New Haven police received the report that two masked suspects entered the Shell gas station at 141 Willow St. and stole tobacco-related products and Lotto scratch tickets. One of the suspects had a firearm, police said.

Another robbery was reported a little over two hours later at about 8:03 a.m. at Pop Grocery located at 267 Grand Ave. where two suspects stole snacks and demanded money from the clerk, according to police. One of the suspects in this incident also had a firearm, though the clerk “bravely refused to hand over the cash,” according to New Haven police. The suspects fled without any money.

New Haven police said Deleon and the juvenile were linked to all four incidents based on their “distinctive clothing.” The vehicle they were using was also identified, which led to authorities pulling the pair over during the traffic stop.

Deleon has been charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree threatening, first-degree reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery. The juvenile was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery and was served with the warrant in a previous unrelated robbery, according to police.

Both suspects were also charged with illegal possession of a firearm and for the larceny of the stolen vehicle, police said.

New Haven police said the charges they filed Wednesday connected with the robbery at Pop Grocery. They will be pursuing arrest warrants in the other three robberies, investigators said.