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The incident began at about 2:15 p.m. when police received a complaint from the Wireless Zone at 385 Post Road E. that two men were in the store attempting to open accounts using fraudulent identifications, police said.
When store employees began to question the authenticity of the IDs — out-of-state driver’s licenses — the two suspects quickly left the store, police said.
Some officers responded to the store while others began checking the area for the suspects, police said. An officer at the store broadcast a vehicle description and license plate of a car that the men were seen leaving in, police said.
Officer Shawn Sember, in the area of Post Road East and the Sherwood Island Connector, saw the vehicle turn south onto the connector, police said.
Sember conducted a motor vehicle stop at Greens Farms Road, but as he approached the car, it sped away westbound on Greens Farms Road, police said.
He pursued the vehicle as it continued west, police said. Officer Perez arrived at Compo Road South and Greens Farms Road ahead of the pursuit and deployed stop sticks, police said.
However, the vehicle pulled over before striking the stop sticks, police said.
The two men in the car were identified as the ones who were attempting to open the fraudulent accounts.
Mamadu Saidu Sowe, 46, of the Bronx, N.Y., andAnthony Ikenna Okefor, 27, also of the Bronx, were arrested.
Sowe was charged with sixth-degree criminal attempt to commit larceny, unlawful reproduction of credit card, third-degree identity theft, criminal impersonation, four counts of second-degree forgery, engaging police in a pursuit and reckless driving. He was held at the Westport Police Department on $25,000 bond
Okefor was charged with sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny and third-degree conspiracy to commit identity theft. He was held at the Westport Police Department on $20,000 bond.
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