Cops: Gang Member Nabbed at Stratford Carnival

A 17-year-old Bridgeport resident who police said is a known member of the city's East Side Boyz gang was arrested over the weekend outside a carnival in Stratford.

Members of the Statewide Urban Violence Task Force were assisting identify gang activity Saturday night at the Coleman Brothers Carnival at 411 Barnum Avenue Cutoff, according to Stratford police spokesman Lt. Frank Eannotti.

Authorities saw the teen, whose identity is being withheld because of his age, enter the carnival around 8:40 p.m. and followed him through the carnival for about an hour, Eannotti said.

When the teen exited the carnival for the parking lot, officials apprehended the youth at a vehicle and found the teen in possession of a loaded .32 semiautomatic pistol, Eannotti said.

The teen was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit and possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

He was held on $150,000 bond and given a court date of May 2.