2 Men Charged With Robbery, Assault In Stamford: Police

Stamford CT

12 November, 2021

5:44 PM

Description

STAMFORD, CT — Two New York men have been charged after police said they robbed and assaulted two people in Stamford on Tuesday. Capt. Richard Conklin of the Stamford Police Department said a male in his late 20s and a female friend were visiting someone late in the afternoon on Nov. 9, and they parked their car in the area of Knapp and Hope Street. When the couple returned around 5 p.m., they noticed two people sitting in the backseat of the car, Conklin said, adding that the car was most likely left unlocked since there was no sign of a break-in. The two men, later identified as Gregory Draine, 44, of Yonkers, N.Y., and Anthony Vasquez, 38, of the Bronx, said they wanted a ride to New York, according to Conklin. When the couple refused, Conklin said one of the men hit the male victim over the head with what the victim thought was a gun, and took his cell phone; a piece of jewelry was taken from the female. However, no gun was found, Conklin said. The two men fled as officers flooded the area. K9 Officer Logan Pavia of the SPD noticed the men in the area of Highview Avenue, Conklin said. "Narcotics and organized crime officers responded and they saw one of the parties flee. They chased him and caught him," Conklin said, referring to Draine. "When he was captured by Narcotics and Organized Crime Officers, he was found to have the victim's phone on his person, and also a piece of jewelry that was stolen from the female." Draine was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy at robbery, sixth-degree larceny and sixth-degree conspiracy at larceny. Vasquez jumped a fence and ran away, so officers quickly set up a perimeter to contain the area, according to Conklin. "Officer Pavia got his dog out, K9 Pyro, and he began a track. The K9 brought them to the area of the car wash on Camp Avenue," Conklin said. "The dog led them to an old shed on the property where they located the second party hiding." Vasquez was charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy at robbery, sixth-degree larceny, sixth-degree conspiracy at larceny, third-degree burglary and third-degree assault. Draine and Vasquez both have extensive criminal records according to Conklin. They were being held on $100,000 bonds. "Both parties are being looked at for other crimes in the region," Conklin said. "We were contacted by other law enforcement agencies." Conklin praised the officers and K9 Pyro for their response, calling it a "real team effort." "Once they chased these guys, they caught one almost immediately. On the second guy, they did a wonderful job setting up a perimeter and containing the second suspect. Officer Pavia was able to get his dog Pyro out and he did a nice track right to where he was hiding," Conklin said. "It just shows how valuable these K9s are to us."