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Ridgefield Man Accused Of Shooting Teen Car Thief Arrested

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. -- A Ridgefield man has been charged with shooting a 15-year-old girl who tried to steal his car in June, as well as a number of drug charges after police raided his home and found several pounds of marijuana, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Ridgefield Police have charged a man who shot at a group of teens trying to steal his car in June, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Ridgefield Police have charged a man who shot at a group of teens trying to steal his car in June, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Photo Credit: Alissa Smith, file photo

Mauro Tropeano, 33, of Hulda Lane turned himself in to police on Monday and was charged with second-degree assault, unlawful discharge of a firearm, interfering with an officer and illegal distribution of drugs, the Ridgefield Press reported. He was released on a $100,000 bond and will appear in court on Sept. 5, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Additionally, a 15-year-old Waterbury girl and a 16-year-old Waterbury girl were both charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny, the Ridgefield Press reported.

The arrest stems from a June 5 incident on Hulda Lane, where police responded after Tropeano reported that a group of teens had tried to steal his Land Rover, according to the Ridgefield Press. Tropeano showed police video footage of the incident that showed him running outside while his Land Rover backed into a lamppost, according to the Ridgefield Press. 

But the next day, the 15-year-old girl went to the hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to the back, and a friend told police that she had been part of a group that had gone to Hulda Lane to steal cars, the Ridgefield Press reported.

Tropeano had not mentioned the shooting to police, so officers secured a search warrant for his home, according to the Ridgefield Press. When they executed the warrant, they found a sizable amount of drugs, cash and firearms, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Related story: Shooting of 15-year-old girl leads cops to guns, cash, drugs in Ridgefield home

In all, police found seven pounds of marijuana, as well as more than $28,000 in cash, a large quantity of steroids and steroid-related items, and several firearms, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Police told the Ridgefield Press that they determined that the teens were part of a group that had tried to steal Tropeano's car, and that Tropeano had fired multiple shots. The 15-year-old girl who was hit was treated at Waterbury Hospital and has since recovered, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Police are still working to identify more suspects connected to the attempted theft of the car, according to the Ridgefield Press.

Click here to read the Ridgefield Press story.

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