Category: Local News

6:00pm–#Bridgeport CT–Police have one in custody on Truman Street after an attempted break in.   A fifteen year old girl heard someone trying to break in to her home, ran down and locked herself in the basement.  She had her cellphone and maintained communication throughout the incident.    Police and parents are on scene.

8:21pm–#Westport CT–#cttraffic–Tonight’s car fire is on I-95 southbound between exits 19 and 18.

12:00am–#Stratford CT–Police on the way to the McDonald’s on Barnum Avenue for a reported fight between employees.  Your better off at Frankie’s Diner!  Better food and more choices!  You can’t get Belgium Waffles at McDonald’s!

#Bridgeport, CT – Jan. 24, 2014 – A city man faces charges after he was found with a sawed-off shotgun.

Officer Raymond Ryan responded to the area of 165 Washington Ave. Thursday at 8:30 a.m. on a report of a threatening with a firearm.

When police arrived, officers were able to identify a possible victim, who was uncooperative, and a possible suspect. The suspected victim refused to provide any information, so the suspected suspect, after being checked for warrants, was released. Officers observed the suspect and another male walk away but then saw them double back.

Suspecting the man was doubling back to retrieve an item – possibly a firearm – police continued to observe them. Ryan and Officer Alan Bigelow stopped the man, later identified as Braulio Moncion, 38, and found him in possession of a sawed-off shotgun. He was charged with criminal possession of a firearm and other firearm-related charges.

He was held on $50,000 bond.

Here is the police report on the call we reported live as it was happening:

#Bridgeport, CT – Jan. 21, 2014 – Five people were arrested Saturday after a report of shots fired on Maplewood Avenue.

Police responded to 220 Maplewood Ave. Saturday night on a report of shots fired in the rear yard and received information through the 911 center that one of the people involved might live in the basement apartment of that house.

Officers Joseph Cruz, Adam Roscoe and Todd Sherback entered the rear yard, announced their presence and saw the basement door ajar.

Sgts. Bradford Seeley and Sean Lynch also arrived.

Police opened the door and announced their presence again. They observed Robert Melvins, 43, of that address, in a shadowed area of the basement and detained him. When asked, he stated there was no one else in the basement. A moment later, Gary Alson, 43, of Stamford, and two 17-year-olds emerged from a bedroom. They also were detained.

Seeley, Lynch and Roscoe then entered the basement and found Tajvon Ferris, 19, of Bridgeport, hiding.

Inside the apartment, police recovered a 9mm pistol and what appeared to be crack cocaine.

Melvins gave this account of events: He was giving a haircut in the basement to an unknown male, who he believed was Jamaican. The man was dissatisfied with the quality of the haircut, which led to a physical altercation. During the struggle, Melvins said, a gun fell from the pocket of the unknown Jamaican male. Another person picked up the gun and held it until the two people were separated and then returned the gun to the unknown male. The man left and that’s when Melvins said he heard gunfire outside.

Mevlins also stated that the same male left the recovered 9 mm pistol about five weeks earlier and asked him to “hold” it for him.

Everyone in the apartment was charged with narcotics related offenses. Melvins additionally was charged with criminal possession of a firearm.

#Bridgeport, CT – Jan. 22, 2014 – A 41-year-old man reported losing or having stolen his 9 mm pistol over the weekend.

The man told Officer Frank Delbouno that he was doing “private security” work at a teen party for a man he only knew as “James.” He could only state that he had met James “around the block.”

The man stated the he was providing security at a Maplewood Avenue teen party. His job was to ensure no weapons were brought into the party. He estimated that at about 3 a.m. he stood up from his chair and that his gun must have fallen. He reported the gun missing Tuesday, three days after it went missing.

Alternate side of the street parking rules in effect

BRIDGEPORT, CT (January 20, 2014) – Due to the upcoming winter storm, Mayor Bill Finch has declared a Snow Emergency in the City beginning at 6 a.m., Tuesday, January 21.

During a Snow Emergency, residents must move their cars off posted Snow Emergency streets or be subject to fines and towing. Alternate-side-of-the-street parking rules are in effect for all other streets throughout the City in order to allow snow plow drivers’ clear passage. To comply with the Snow Emergency Alternate-Side-of-the-Street Parking Rules, residents must move their cars to the ‘odd-numbered’ side of the street by 6 a.m. on Jan. 21, and remain on the odd-numbered side of the street until the even-numbered side of the street has been cleared. (House numbers ending in 1,3,5,7, and 9 constitute the odd-numbered side of the street.)

During the storm, residents may use the following school parking lots to move their cars off the street: Cesar Batalla School, 606 Howard Ave.; Central High School, 1 Lincoln Blvd. (Madison Avenue entrance); Geraldine Johnson School, 475 Lexington Ave.; Hall School, 290 Clermont Ave.; Luis Munoz Marin School, 479 Helen St., and Jettie Tisdale School, 250 Hollister Ave. A full list of Snow Emergency parking areas can be found at the following link: www.bridgeportct.gov/snow-emergency-parking-lots

The National Weather Service is forecasting snow accumulations of four to eight inches of snow beginning late Tuesday morning and continuing into Tuesday night with the heaviest snowfall expected Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Snow Emergency streets are marked with white signs with red lettering. A list of Snow Emergency streets can be found on the City’s website — http://www.bridgeportct.gov/snowemergencystreets . No parking is allowed on Snow Emergency streets. Vehicles left on Snow Emergency streets after the ban goes into effect will be subject to fines and towing.

“Many of our streets are very narrow in highly populated areas of the City. Cooperation from all of our residents is necessary in order for our crews to be able to navigate the streets and keep roads clear,” said Mayor Finch. “Property owners can help by shoveling their sidewalks and driveways, and clearing snow around fire hydrants and curb cuts to help improve neighborhood safety. Please do not shovel snow back into the street, and above all, please obey the Snow Emergency parking rules.”

Updated Garbage and Recycling Pickup Schedule from the Department of Public Works: Trash/recycling pickup will be suspended on Wednesday. Pickups scheduled on Wednesday will be pushed back to Thursday, Thursday pushed back to Friday and Fridaypushed back to Saturday. The Transfer Station will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21 and Wednesday, Jan. 22.

During the storm, residents with non-emergency, weather-related questions or concerns should call the City’s BConnected Call Center at 203.576.1311 or the Emergency Operations Center at 203.579.3829. Residents can use the City’s BConnected request system online atwww.bridgeportct.gov/bconnected  or on the BConnected mobile application available on iPhone or Android smartphones to report any snow-related concerns.

“I can’t stress how important it is for residents to obey the emergency parking ban. No one wants to have their car towed, and the last thing we want to do is ticket and tow residents’ vehicles,” said Police Chief Joseph Gaudett. “So we need everyone’s cooperation. Plows won’t be able to clear secondary streets if cars are parked on both sides and it is essential to keep our Snow Emergency routes clear,” he added.

For the latest updates, resources and information about the snowstorm, residents are asked to check www.bridgeportct.gov/snow, local television and radio news outlets and follow the City of Bridgeport on Twitter and Facebook and Mayor Bill Finch on Twitter and Facebook.

Note from Bridgeport Police Dept.: Vehicles left parked on Snow Emergency streets after6 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21, will be subject to tagging and towing. Violating the alternate-side of the street parking rules also will result in fines. A list of Snow Emergency streets can be found on the City’s website by following this link: http://www.bridgeportct.gov/snowemergencystreets.

Note from Department of Public Works:

• During the Snow Emergency all City residents should heed alternate side of the street parking rules until the Snow Emergency has been lifted.
• By 6 a.m., on Tuesday, Jan. 21 residents must move their cars to the ‘odd-numbered’ side of the street to facilitate efficient snow removal. Once the ‘even-numbered’ (house numbers ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8) side of the street is clear, residents can move their car to that side of the street so crews can clear the ‘odd-numbered’ (house numbers ending in 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9) side of the street. Residents can then heed the alternate side of the street parking rules until the Snow Emergency has been lifted (park on ‘even-numbered’ side of the street on even-numbered calendar days and ‘odd-numbered’ side of the street on odd-numbered calendar days.)
• The Department of Public Works reminds all residents and business owners to shovel the sidewalk and walkways, including curb cuts, for pedestrian safety. If sidewalks are not cleared, the City may clean the sidewalk and charge the owner a fee for doing so, as well as impose a $100 per day fine for violating a City ordinance.
• Please do not shovel, or use a snow blower or plow to throw snow back into the street from your driveway or sidewalk. Anyone found throwing snow back into the street will be subject to a fine.
• Residents and business owners are also asked to clear fire hydrants and the immediate area around it of snow to improve neighborhood safety.
• The City’s Transfer Station on Asylum Street will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 21 and Wednesday Jan. 22.