Yesterday’s carjacking — and the recent spike in car thefts — has rattled many Westporters.
This Wednesday (September 20, 7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium) Westport Police Department and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker will host a town forum on public safety. It will focus on car thefts, vehicle break-ins, and Sunday’s carjacking.
Police Chief Foti Koskinas will lead a discussion on safety concerns voiced by residents. He and members of his command staff will describe the work of the Regional Auto Theft Task Force, formed in response to increased car thefts and vehicle break-ins in the area.
The discussion will also include police practices utilized to combat vehicle thefts.
All Westporters are invited to Wednesday’s event.
Meanwhile, Westport Police have released Ring videos of the carjacking. Portions of the video have been redacted, to protect the victim’s identity.
This is a great opportunity for residents to get involved, ask questions, and be proactive like our administration has.
There is only so much stakeholders can do (police & residents) but together we can help law enforcement and our neighbors by taking preventative measures!!!
Is there any chance we could get some of our elected officials in Hartford like Jonathan Steinberg, Dominique Johnson, or Ceci Maher invited to the Town Hall as they are in the best position to make carjacking and auto theft less desirable side hustles in the state of CT?
I know Ceci plans to be there.
Is there any chance this will be streamed?
Given the uptick again of Covid, they should consider a Zoom dial-in option, as well, to be as inclusive as possible of all Westporters.
Agreed
Wow. This is even more violent than I thought, especially with the audio. This gentleman has a lot of moxie for at least trying to stand up to these scum..Good for you sir…..
Not a good idea to fight these violent people. It is not worth your life. You never know if they have a gun.
Cousin Dave… I agree with you on principle. Even if I was armed I feel like I would still let them take the car and pay the deductible. It would still be cheaper than having to hire a lawyer for killing a couple of low life scumbags or a dental bill for getting your teeth knocked out.
An unfortunate and upsetting incident that doesn’t merit the level of hysteria being stoked. Serious, violent crime remains an extreme rarity in Westport. We are all very fortunate to live in an astoundingly safe place, and the fact that incidents like this are so shocking only proves that point. Stay safe, sure, but stay calm too. And be wary of those who attempt to leverage this to push political and budgetary agendas, which is clearly happening already.
Thanks, Richard, for your level headed input about an ugly occurence that is so unusual in Westport that I saw it on ABC news from Boston. Though a forum on the topic led by our thoughtful and professional Chief may make some folks feel better, it will not stop the few incidents of car thefts involving personal assault; nor will it stop the political mileadge opportunistically garnered from the incident…at least the perps are white guys so that protects us from the bigots’ usual “illegal immigrant” or “black” nonsense.
So much for your “white” perps..
Richard, thank you for your comment. I don’t think hysterics or over reaction is required either. But, something is different here, and it’s important to recognize that. This really is not such an isolated incident. In Southport, teachers walking were accosted and robbed at gun point. In Fairfield, someone observed their car being broken into, tried to intercede and was met with gun fire. I get notifications of car heists in my area DAILY. I am certainly not smart enough to know the exact reason it is happening, but we shouldn’t UNDER react either. This is definitely not the Westport I have know for many, many years.
The owner of this vehicle is very, very lucky to still be alive. Resisting two intruders with clear bad intent is a poor choice in a situation that could turn deadly in seconds. I’m sure an Austin-Martin is a fine automobile (I prefer MGs myself) but it is not worth your life.
The police have already recovered the vehicles and arrested the carjackers:
https://dailyvoice.com/connecticut/westport/two-juveniles-nabbed-in-westport-carjacking-stolen-cars-recovered-police-say/?emh5=ffa70a2ae6d272c61422db0a2dddf727&emh256=c51298dcf29eb12232d09907f02fda53fa29ddb3cb3b0b05586b0c76d6b042b8&emh256_base=c51298dcf29eb12232d09907f02fda53fa29ddb3cb3b0b05586b0c76d6b042b8&emsid=43336&lctg=JMi99f8vHT5r1rm5w44oZiCMlWybyUuA&utm_source=breaking-email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=breaking-westport-153312&group=0&test_id=None
Mr. Katz they were black. Imo you have millions in vehicles get a real dog. Mine would have torn them to shreds.