This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Crime & Safety

Alert Neighbor Detains Suspected Burglar for Police

Red Sox fan with licensed handgun tells suspect that residents in Park Road neighborhood 'look out for each other.'

An alert Mitchell Place man with a licensed 9 mm Ruger handgun tucked into his waistband foiled a daylight burglary on Whiting Lane last week and helped apprehend a suspect with a long string of arrests, police said.

According to a witness, the 30-year-old neighbor told the suspect that “People in this neighborhood look out for each other,” police said.

The suspect, Darren E. Bellamy, 29, who police described as homeless, was charged with attempted burglary, larceny and trespassing. He was held on a bond set at $20,000 in Hartford Superior Court.

Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Bellamy is accused of trying to enter a home on Whiting Lane in the Park Road neighborhood around 1 p.m. April 20. When Bellamy discovered a locked door to a rear porch, he  went into a garage and tried to take off with a green mountain bike, police said.

The neighbor, who was wearing a Red Sox cap, told police he first noticed Bellamy from his second-floor apartment on Mitchell Place. He became suspicious when he saw Bellamy look into his parked car on Mitchell Place and walk across the street into a neighbor's backyard, police said.

Find out what's happening in West Hartfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The man told police he went outside and confronted Bellamy, who dropped the bike and tried to walk away. He told Bellamy to stop and never removed the handgun from his pants waistband, police said. One of two neighbors who witnessed the incident called 911.

Multiple West Hartford officers responded on a report of an argument in the street between two men, one wearing a Red Sox cap and carrying a black semiautomatic handgun.

After police handcuffed both men in the intersection of Mitchell Place and Whiting Lane, “It was quickly determined that [the neighbor] had interrupted a crime being committed by Bellamy” and was released, police said.

Bellamy has multiple arrests and convictions, including six in West Hartford since 2001 -- twice for burglary -- according to court records. He is scheduled to return to Superior Court May 23.

The handgun was returned to the neighbor, police said.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.