Police make 2 arrests in connection with the Aston Martin carjacking
Vehicle was found at a ‘chop shop’ in Berlin
WESTPORT, CT (WFSB) - Two people were arrested and charged in connection with a caught-on-camera carjacking that happened at a home in Westport on Sunday.
Derrick McGill, 39, of Berlin, was charged with four counts of larceny.
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/6XXY63CQKJC57P5Y6BKTSPEWSQ.png)
A 16-year-old boy from Waterbury was also arrested. Police said they’re working to determine his connection to McGill.
Police said two suspects followed a man home and carjacked his Aston Martin right out of his garage. The theft was captured in a security camera video.
Westport police said they had reason to believe the victim’s car was at a home on Orchard Street in Berlin and obtained a search warrant. The Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force, along with Berlin police, searched the home Monday night. During the search, four stolen cars were recovered, one of which was the Aston Martin taken from Westport.
A 2021 BMW 530i that was stolen from Westport on Sept. 16 and used in the carjacking was also located during the search, police revealed.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/AHEY5P5USNASVFUVRBIQSJ3QHY.png)
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/LOC7QDG3YVDWZE7CQGIYFDHUJY.png)
Another BMW stolen from Ridgefield and a Porsche stolen from Rhode Island were also recovered.
Police identified one of the suspects as McGill. He was placed under arrest by the Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force, but did not yet have charges pending in Westport as of Tuesday.
Berlin police Chief Matthew McNally said McGill lives at the home where the stolen cars were found. McNally described the home as a “chop shop” for stolen cars and was listed on VRBO, a rental site similar to Airbnb.
Neighbors said it wasn’t an ordinary house.
“A lot of erratic behavior, [including] house parties, exotic cars, very loud and they would always fly by my house,” one neighbor told Channel 3.
When Eyewitness News stopped by the Berlin home, the front door appeared to have broken glass and was boarded up.
McGill was held on a $250,000 bond and charged four counts of first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle, payment card theft, illegal operation of a chop shop, and conspiracy to commit illegal operation of a chop shop.
On Tuesday, Westport detectives, the Connecticut State Police Violent Crime Task Force, and members of the Waterbury Police Department executed a second search warrant at a home in Waterbury.
A handgun with an extended magazine was seized. A 16-year-old who lived in the home was arrested by Westport police after evidence linked him to the carjacking was uncovered.
The teen was charged with first-degree strangulation, robbery by carjacking, first-degree burglary, criminal attempt to commit first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle, and third-degree assault.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/OBJTFFIODJEPFF5ZBU7WG7KK7Y.png)
Additionally, police said the teen was arrested for his suspected involvement in the theft of the BMW on Sept. 16 that used in the carjacking on Sunday. For that case, the juvenile was charged with first-degree larceny of a motor vehicle and illegal taking of a payment card.
The unidentified 16-year-old was also later charged with home invasion.
Westport police said they began looking into the case after carjacking was reported on Bayberry Lane at 3:50 p.m. Sunday.
The victim told police he had returned home when two suspects entered his garage.
“In this day in age, you have to be aware of your surroundings,” said retired Connecticut State Police Lt. J. Paul Vance, Channel 3′s law enforcement analyst. :I don’t care if you go to a mall parking lot, supermarket parking, [or] your own driveway or garage. People don’t use their rear view mirrors. You should be looking at your rear view and in front of you constantly, and just be aware of your surroundings.”
Westport police said said the suspects assaulted and forcibly removed the victim from the blue Aston Martin. They released surveillance video on Monday.
“It is believed that the suspects arrived at the residence in a dark blue BMW, as this vehicle was seen fleeing with the stolen vehicle,” police said.
The victim suffered minor injuries, but declined medical attention.
The blue Aston Martin and dark blue BMW were last seen traveling north on Route 8.
Police believed the victim was targeted and followed back to their residence.
The dark blue BMW that was involved was later reported stolen from Norwalk.
The Westport Police Detective Bureau has been investigating the case. Anyone with information was asked to contact it at 203-341-6080.
Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.