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"The guys did a really awesome job on this," Sgt. Adrian Novia said. He also praised the tipster who called police at 12:35 a.m. to report that two suspicious males — one holding a baseball bat and both wearing ski masks — were walking in the area of 200 W. Main St.
Officer Dan DeRocco was in the area, and he responded immediately and saw the two males, police said. They both began running, and the baseball bat-carrying male threw a duffel bag as he fled, Novia said. The officer eventually caught up to the suspect, later identified as Isaiah Devonte Whyte, 19, of 193 Ursula Place, police said.
He turned around with the baseball bat to confront the officer, but DeRocco pulled out his handgun and ordered Whyte to put down the bat, Novia said. After Whyte did that, DeRocco tackled him to the ground, he said.
At the same time, police got a report of an alarm a cell phonestore at 210 W. Main St. When officers arrived, they discovered the front door had been smashed, police said. The owner arrived and told police that two cellphones in boxes, an empty cellphone box from the back of the store and two iPhones on display in front of the store had been stolen, Novia said.
A review of the video surveillance showed a male with a baseball bat smashing the glass on the front door while the other male reached in to open the door, police said. Officers found two of the cellphones in boxes in the duffel bag along with an empty cellphone box, police said.
As officers began to search for the second suspect, Officers David Squitieri and Connor Canning were watching over a discarded ski mask believed to be used by one of the suspects, police said. They met a woman who said a friend had called to say the woman's 15-year-old son was at a Greenwich Avenue residence and needed to be picked up, police said.
She told police she didn't realize her son had left their residence.The officers, believing this teen might have been connected to the burglary, asked the woman whether they could speak with him and she agreed, police said.
Officers found they allege was one of the stolen iPhone's in the teen's pocket, and he admitted to the burglary, police said.
Whyte and the teen are each charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree criminal mischief, fifth-degree larceny along with matching conspiracy charges.
Whyte is also charged with interfering with a police officer and possession of a dangerous weapon. His bond was set at $100,000, and he was held for a court appearance Thursday.
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