Darien Police Officer Finds Greenwich Suspects, Arrests them in Norwalk

An SUV containing two men who may have attempted to steal a motorcycle in Greenwich Monday night was stopped by Darien Police in South Norwalk.

Greenwich Police said the incident began shortly before 9 p.m. when a resident of Josephine Evaristo Avenue reported he saw two men outside his home he believed were trying to steal his motorcycle. He chased the men, who fled in an SUV, then provided the vehicle's license plate number to police.

Greenwich Police broadcast a description of the vehicle to surrounding town's on the Fairfield County hotline, and about 45 minutes later a Darien officer spotted the SUV, a Ford Explorer, in that town and began following it, police said.

The Darien officer called for back-up. When a sufficient number of officers joined him, he stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Gray Rock Road. Norwalk officers and an officer from Greenwich then joined the traffic stop.

Norwalk Police spokeswoman Sgt. Lisa Cotto said the driver was George Buruca of 80 South Main St., and his passenger was Anibal Grave of 26 Ely Ave., in Norwalk.

She said the officers reported Buruca had the smell of alcohol on his breath, and Grave was so intoxicated an ambulance was called to transport him to Norwalk Hospital.

A full bottle of Barcardi rum was in the vehicle, she said.

The Explorer had been reported stolen, Cotto said, and the license plates on it belonged to a different Explorer.

Buruca, 40, was charged with third-degree larceny, holding an open bottle of an alcoholic beverage while driving, operating a vehicle without a license, and three counts of misuse of plates.

Grave, 24, was charged with third-degree larceny.

Both were held on $25,000 bond and given court dates of June 21.