Waterbury Teens Charged with Stealing 21 Guns from Salem Store; Gun Trafficking and Carjacking Offenses

Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge, ATF Boston Field Division, today announced that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging TYSSAN WOODS, also known as "Tigger," 18, and EDUARDO CRUZ, 18, both of Waterbury, with offenses related to the theft of firearms from a licensed gun dealer in Salem, the trafficking of stolen firearms, and two armed carjackings.

As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on March 15, 2024, Woods, Cruz, and others stole 21 firearms from Statewide Pawn Shop, a federal firearms licensee in Salem. Cruz trafficked some of the firearms before he was arrested on March 18, 2024. After the burglary, Woods, using a firearm, and another individual committed two carjackings. Woods was arrested on March 28, 2024.

To date, eight of the stolen firearms have been recovered by law enforcement.

The indictment, which was returned on June 25, 2024, charges Woods and Cruz with theft of firearms from a licensee, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years; Cruz with two counts of firearms trafficking, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years on each count; Woods with two counts of carjacking, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 15 years on each count; and Woods with using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, an offense that carries a mandatory term of imprisonment of seven years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.

Woods and Cruz have been detained since their arrests. They each appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court and entered pleas of not guilty.

U.S. Attorney Avery stressed that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This matter is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Connecticut State Police, and the Waterbury, Stamford, and Wolcott Police Departments.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Mahard through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. In May 2021, the Justice Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

U.S. Attorney Avery noted that this case is being prosecuted, in part, under the new criminal provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Congress enacted, and the President signed in June 2022. The Act is the first federal statute specifically designed to target the unlawful trafficking of firearms.