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Crime & Safety

Suspect in Chestnut Street Stabbing Captured in Bridgeport

Incident believed triggered by dispute over drugs, police said. Victim allegedly found at hospital to be carrying crack cocaine and marijuana.

 

The suspect in a South Norwalk stabbing earlier this month was captured in Bridgeport Friday morning.

At a news conference later in the morning, Det. Sgt. Thomas Roncinske said Keith Preston was taken into custody when he showed up at a mall on Boston Avenue. He said detectives received a tip that he'd be at that location, and officers from Norwalk and Bridgeport, along with members of the U.S. Marshal Service's Joint Violent Fugitive Task Force, were waiting to nab him.

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Roncinske said Preston was spotted arriving in a gray Volkswagen Passat. He said officers waited until he exited his car before taking him into custody. The arrest occurred without incident, he said.

Preston, 28, is charged with first-degree assault, and is being held on $250,000 bond. Roncinske said he doubted Preston would be able to post bond, in which case he'll be arraigned Monday in state Superior Court in Norwalk.

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The stabbing occurred Sept. 6 on Chestnut Street. The victim, later identified as Julio Velez, managed to walk about two blocks to Police Headquarters on Monroe Street where he staggered into the lobby bleeding profusely from a wound to his abdomen.

Velez, 31, was taken by ambulance to Norwalk Hospital where he was treated and then released the same day. Police then took him back to headquarters where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, and possession of less than four ounces of marijuana.

Police said that at the hospital, Velez was found to be in possession of 38 bags of crack cocaine in the form of small rocks, and a baggy containing marijuana.

Velez, who lives at 28 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, identified Preston as his assailant, and Roncinske said police obtained an arrest warrant for him before the end of the day.

Roncinske said Preston's last known address was 707 Laurel Ave. in Bridgeport where his mother still lives. He said Preston's motherr denied knowing where he was living.

The lead investigator in the case was Det. Lou Giannattasio, Roncinske said.

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