BRIDGEPORT, CT — Two men from the New Haven area were arrested Thursday after police say they robbed a supermarket at knifepoint and led officers on a chase that ended in a crash in Woodbridge.
Osvaldo Beard-Beltran, 30, of North Haven, was charged with robbery in the second degree, carrying a dangerous weapon, assault in the third degree, threatening in the second degree, breach of peace in the second degree, larceny in the sixth degree, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and engaging police in a pursuit.
He was held on $100,000 bond.
Giovanni Rivera, 35, of New Haven, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery in the second degree, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree.
He was held on $50,000 bond.
Police said the two men walked into Gala Foods Supermarket at 1457 Fairfield Avenue at approximately 9:30 a.m. Thursday and placed about $500 worth of meat in a shopping cart, some of which was cut for them by a butcher.
When an employee tried to stop them from leaving without paying, Beard-Beltran pushed the shopping cart out of the employee’s grasp, pulled a large knife from his waistband and slammed it down on the cart, according to police.
A second employee confronted the suspects outside as they loaded the stolen meat into a white Volvo.
Beard-Beltran pointed the knife at that employee and threatened him, police said.
A Bridgeport officer later spotted the Volvo on the city’s East Side.
Bridgeport police and Connecticut State Police pursued the vehicle on Route 8, the Merritt Parkway and the Wilbur Cross Parkway until it crashed into a UPS truck on a local street in Woodbridge.
Beard-Beltran fled to a nearby car occupied by a woman and tried to open the driver’s side door but was unsuccessful and taken into custody, police said.
Rivera was arrested at the crash scene.
The knife used in the robbery was found inside the Volvo.
One Gala Foods employee suffered a minor hand injury when Beard-Beltran pushed the shopping cart out of his hand.
Police believe the suspects sold the meat to a smaller store in Bridgeport before they were arrested.
The Woodbridge Police Department is investigating the crash and the incident involving the female driver.
