By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — A large crowd filled the Town Hall auditorium Wednesday night for a forum on vehicle thefts.

A violent carjacking Sunday afternoon of an Aston Martin at a Bayberry Lane home shocked the town, and people far beyond, after police released home security footage showing two masked assailants — who tailed the Aston Martin owner to his home in a stolen BMW — drag the man from the expensive convertible before speeding away. Television viewers nationwide saw it.

The forum drew a crowd of 150 or more people, and they weren’t just from Westport.

Westport police, along with the Bridgeport Auto Theft Task Force and other departments, on Tuesday arrested a 16-year-old Waterbury youth, accused in the Bayberry Lane incident. A 39-year-old Berlin man was arrested Monday after the Aston Martin, the BMW stolen earlier by the carjackers in Westport, and two other stolen sports cars were found at a “chop shop” the man allegedly was running at his residence.

The other suspect in the Bayberry Lane incident had not been apprehended as of Wednesday night, although a police spokesman has said that additional arrests are expected in the ongoing investigation.

“We are a community that cares,” First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker told the crowd.

“We care about our families, and we care about our neighbors and each other,” she said. “I assume, that’s why all of you are you are here tonight.”

“Look around the room,” Police Chief Foti Koskinas said. “This is not just a Westport problem.”

Koskinas noted that police chiefs and command staff from several towns in the region were in the auditorium, and also thanked the media for circulating information about the carjacking to the public, which helped investigators quickly gather information leading to the suspects.

The chief said the forum was not an attempt on his part to ask for hiring 10 more officers.

“This is truly to listen to you, hear your concerns,” he said. “I can assure you, we do realize that when a car is taken out of your driveway, it is not just a property crime. You’ve been victimized, you feel violated, you feel unsafe. You don’t feel the right way when you pull down your driveway. It takes a long time to get over that.”

Lt. Anthony Prezioso discussed the frustration of criminal justice reforms, which several years ago moved from a punitive system to a reformative system, making it difficult to place juvenile offenders in detention.

He said that works for 98 or 99 percent of the youth who run afoul of the law. “I just think it creates a huge loophole for that 1 or 2 percent of motivated offenders,” he said, calling it a “revolving door.”

“They have learned what we can and cannot do,” Prezioso said. “And they are very happy to share with you what we can and cannot do in reaction to apprehending them.”

“They know we’re not allowed to pursue them due to property crimes,” he said.

John Kramer of Westport, and many other speakers, praised police. “I just want to congratulate you for finding these people who committed these crimes so quickly,” he said.

“If you want to solve a problem you’ve got to get to the root cause,” Kramer said. The reasons why juveniles commit such crimes, he said, society can figure out.

“But why this community doesn’t lock their cars, take their fobs, leave their car running so that’s it’s very convenient to go in get food to go with the feeling that, ‘I have enough money, I don’t care if somebody takes my car,’ and then relying on you to solve the problem …”

Speakers thanking the police and calling for tougher punishment of young offenders drew hearty applause at the gathering. Had arrests not been made yet, the mood might have been different. People don’t like being afraid, but action in this case came swiftly.

The state’s lawmakers took some heat after several people, including police, lamented the leniency they say repeat juvenile offenders are given.

Bob Cantor of Westport also thanked the police.

“We have one of the safest communities in the state of Connecticut,” he said. “What I’d like to know is, what can we do to help you get more teeth in the game here? Are there any legislators here, have they reached out to you to say, ‘Hey, it’s time we changed the rules here for the criminals?’ ”

State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-136, and state Sen. Ceci Maher, D-26, were in the audience, but did not speak.

“These men and officers, they go after them in the cars, they risk their lives — I’m disgusted,” Cantor said. “And I think we have to find a way to get to the legislators in this state.”

John Porriello, of the group Safe Streets Connecticut, said a similar meeting took place in Glastonbury two years ago after two juveniles stole a car, hit two other cars, then stole another.

“What your legislators need to hear from you is that this a problem,” he said. “The co-chairs of the Judiciary Committee in Hartford declare, time and time again, that crime is down. Well, from the turnout here, it doesn’t appear that way.”

“It’s not like a game, it is a game for these repeat juvenile offenders,” Porriello said. “And they need to be in jail. I know that’s not a popular thing to say …”

He paused while many in the crowd applauded.

“But without each and every person who is concerned, who is scared, doesn’t want this to happen to them, or to them a second time, you need to get engaged with your elected officials,” he said. “And not back down. The deck is stacked against innocent citizens, and it’s stacked in favor of repeat juvenile offenders. It’s time for that to stop.”

Arthur Hersch of Fairfield, a former member of that town’s Police Commission, also spoke.

“The handcuffs are on you, unfortunately,” he told the police. “We must do something with our legislators.”

Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 35 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.