Trumbull Police arrested a man and woman for a variety of charges at the Westfield Trumbull Mall Thursday afternoon when they were caught using stolen credit cards. Officers subsequently located their vehicle in the parking lot, which they learned was stolen, and contained a loaded firearm inside, which was also determined to be stolen.
Police located 21-year-old Dereck Ramirez, of Bridgeport, and 23-year-old Gabrielle Collazo, of Greenwich, inside the mall after employees of the Champs store reported that they had purchased merchandise by using a credit card that was later determined to be stolen in Norwalk. While questioning the suspects, officers found that the two had made several purchases at various stores in the mall and recovered over $1,200 worth of stolen merchandise that they were carrying, as well as several additional stolen credit cards that they were hiding.
While continuing their investigation, officers located the vehicle used by the suspects, which was parked in the lot nearby. The vehicle, a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, had been reported stolen in Stamford earlier this week. Inside the vehicle, officers found a loaded handgun with an extended high-capacity magazine that had been reported stolen in Florida in 2019.
Both Ramirez and Collazo were charged with Larceny 2nd Degree (MV Theft), Larceny 4th Degree (Shoplifting), Credit Card Theft (7 counts), Illegal use of Credit Cards (7 counts), and Interfering with an Officer. Collazo was detained on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment in Bridgeport Superior Court on November 10, 2022.
Ramirez was additionally charged with Criminal Possession of a Pistol, Theft of a Firearm, Weapon in a Motor Vehicle, and Possession of a High-Capacity Magazine. He was detained on a $250,000 bond and is scheduled for arraignment in Bridgeport Superior Court on November 10, 2022. It was also determined that Ramirez was on Parole as the result of a previous arrest.