Trumbull Police arrested three (3) New York women after they ran from police officers who had stopped them for a shoplifting investigation. Diana Velez-Rodriguez, age 37, Jennifer Zuluaga, age 38, and Diana Paola Cruz, age 42, all of Queens, New York were apprehended by police on Wednesday afternoon, March 29, along with $4,000 in stolen merchandise that was recovered.
At about 4:00 P.M., Trumbull Police were notified that two (2) women were shoplifting at the Sports Fever store at the Trumbull Shopping Mall, but the two (2) female suspects had since left the store. Just prior to their arrival, officers determined that the suspects left the Trumbull Mall in a silver Jeep bearing a Pennsylvania registration plate, driven by a third female.
Responding officers searched the area and located the vehicle in the parking lot of the TD Bank at Main Street and Old Town Road in Bridgeport. All three (3) occupants of the Jeep matched the descriptions of the suspects that were involved in the thefts. As police were speaking with the women, Cruz fled from the vehicle on foot and ran towards the rear of TD Bank, and Velez-Rodriguez also fled and ran southerly on Main Street.
Officers engaged in foot pursuit for both women when Cruz was quickly apprehended and taken into custody in the rear of TD Bank, and Velez-Rodriguez was apprehended by officers a short distance away. The driver, Zuluaga remained with the vehicle and was standing behind the Jeep with the hatch open and was removing the stolen merchandise from the Jeep and throwing it into the bushes at the bank property. Zuluaga was then arrested and taken into police custody.
Officers located a magnetic device in Zuluaga's possession which is commonly used by shoplifters to remove security sensors. Another magnetic device was located inside of the Jeep along with large bags that the suspects used to conceal the stolen merchandise in the mall stores.
All the discarded stolen merchandise was recovered from the shrubs and along the wood line of TD Bank property. Police investigation revealed that all three (3) women had shoplifted from several stores in the mall, and officers recovered over $3,900 worth of stolen merchandise.
Velez-Rodriguez, Zuluaga, and Cruz were all charged with Larceny 3rd Degree, Possession of a Shoplifting Device, and Interfering with Police. They were each held on a $2,500 and are scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on April 11, 2023.