The incident happened last week. Officer Martin Pizighelli was sent to Norman and Fremont streets just after 6 p.m., where a 51-year-old said he was held up by a group of young males.
The victim said he was walking home from the Gigante Store when he felt what he believed to be a gun pressed against his back and heard a man say, “Don’t turn around.”
The robbers then rifled through his pocket and took two packs of cigarettes and his wallet which contained a small amount of cash. He saw them run toward Marina Village.
Instead of just taking the report, Pizighelli went to the Gigante store to follow up. There, he learned that a group of males who had been hanging out in front followed the victim toward Norman Street after he left the store. Pizighelli was still parked at the location when a concerned citizen approached and pointed out a group of males walking across the street. They were some of the people hanging out earlier, he said.
Pizighelli radioed for back-up, circled the block and Officers Christopher Martin, Manuel Santora, Ivan Delgado, Julio Diez, Joseph Lawlor, Elson Morales and Sgt. Ronald Mercado all converged. They detained five people.
One, Taquan Jefferies, 20, of 138 Garden St., had two packs of cigarettes in his pocket and a BB gun in his backpack. He stated that a Hispanic male willingly gave the packs to him after he had asked for a cigarette.
Brought to the scene, the victim told a different story. He identified four of the males as the muggers.
Retracing the suspects’ route, police also found the victim’s ID and a copy of his social security card discarded on the sidewalk.
Jefferies; Petrelle Thompson, 20, of 109 Vine St.; Marcos Beltran, 20, of 1220 State St., and Vondaia Ramsey, 23, of 446 Ridgefield Ave., all face robbery and conspiracy charges. The first three remain in jail.