25°
The incident took place on Tuesday, March 30, in Bridgeport, when Task Force officers from the CSP Gang Unit and FBI Safe Streets received credible information that occupants of a black Nissan Maxima with a paper registration tag out of Texas were seen at the Sunny Side Inn located at 174 Lake Street in Bridgeport with what appeared to be a firearm, said Scott Appleby, director of Emergency Management.
Task Force officers responded to the area and conducted surveillance of the Sunny Side Inn. While in the area a black Nissan Maxima with a Texas temporary tag pulled into the parking lot, Appleby said.
Taskforce members pulled over the vehicle in the parking lot, and as officers approached, they noticed that a back seat passenger, later identified as Messiah Carrasquillo, 34, address unknown, reaching between his legs.
Officers gave orders for all five occupants to get out of the vehicle, but Carrasquillo refused to listen and continued leaning over and appeared to be grabbing an item, Appleby said.
After several minutes, officers were able to secure all five occupants outside of the vehicle.
A search of the vehicle turned up a loaded .22 caliber semi-auto firearm on the floor directly where Carrasquillo was reaching, Appleby said.
A check of the suspects found that all five were convicted felons, he added.
Besides the loaded firearm, officers located a pepper spray gun and a collapsible baton.
All five were arrested and charged. One of the occupants had an outstanding warrant out of Bridgeport.
Messiah Carrasquillo is currently on parole for prior firearms offenses. He was held on a $250,000 bond for firearm-related offenses. He was remanded to custody by parole officials.
The driver, Nestor River, was arrested and charged with two counts of a weapon in a motor vehicle for having possession of the pepper spray and the weapon in his vehicle.
His bond was set at $250,000.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Danbury and receive free news updates.
