Riverhead Police yesterday arrested and charged a 21-year-old Calverton parolee in connection with two armed robberies Sunday night, after the suspect pointed a handgun at the driver of a passing vehicle in the Peconic River parking lot yesterday morning, police said in a press release last night.
The driver of the vehicle called 911 at about 8:13 a.m. yesterday to report that an “agitated” male in the parking lot displayed a handgun and pointed it at the man as he was driving through the parking lot, police said.
Responding patrol officers apprehended Matthew Pittman, who was found to be in possession of a 10mm handgun and a defaced .22 caliber handgun, police said.
During the course of the investigation, police determined Pittman to be the suspect in the two armed robberies reported to police Sunday night.
In the first of the two incidents, a man on Third Street reported being held up by a man who displayed what appeared to be a handgun. After the victim turned over his money, the suspect fled on foot, southbound on East Avenue, police said.
In the second incident, a man entered the Mobil gas station on Route 58 just east of Mill Road just before 10:17 p.m., displayed a black handgun and demanded money, police said. A clerk at the station complied and then left the building and ran cross Pulaski Street. The suspect followed the employee and fired multiple shots at the clerk, police said. Police recovered 11 spent shell casings at the scene, according to the report. No injuries were reported.
Police said in the course of their investigation yesterday they recovered a 9mm ghost gun that was used in the commission of both robberies on Sunday night.
Pittman is facing multiple felonies in connection with the three incidents, including:
- two counts of Robbery in the First Degree;
- three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree,
- four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (criminal possession of a weapon and has previously been convicted of any crime);
- one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (defaced weapon);
- two counts of Menacing in the Second Degree; and
- one count of Reckless Endangerment in the First Degree.
Pittman was previously convicted on felony weapon possession and assault charges in 2019 following his arrest in connection with a Nov. 4, 2018 shooting in the parking lot of the Calverton Hills condominium complex that injured a 23-year-old Mattituck man. Pittman, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, was sentenced in June 2019 to incarceration of up to three years, six months in prison. He was released on parole on May 5, with post-release parole supervision until Dec. 5, 2026, according to N.Y. State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision online records.
Police said their investigation yesterday also led to the arrest of two 17-year-old males. One was the driver of a vehicle used in the commission of both robberies, police said. He was charged with two counts of Criminal Facilitation in the Fourth Degree.
The second 17-year-old male was charged with: one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree; one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree; one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds (a handgun recovered from a vehicle in the parking lot of Riverhead High School); one count of Obstructing Governmental Administration; and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence.
Police did not describe the connection, if any, between the arrest of the second 17-year-old and the crimes that occurred on Sunday night or yesterday morning.
Police did not provide the names of the two 17-year-old males charged with the reported crimes.
The Riverhead Detective Division is continuing to investigate these incidents and urges anyone with information to call the Riverhead Police Department at 631-727-4500 x 312 or the Department Crime Hotline at 631-727-3333. All calls will be kept confidential, police said.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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