Sgt. Michael Cirillo with the Hamden Police Department was arrested New Year’s Eve because of how he responded to a threat against his family, police said. Judging by the allegations, it started with the actions of the alleged victim, according to a Fox 61.
38-year-old Vincent Terrone‘s relationship with a woman broke down due to his suspected problem with heroin, and it got so bad that he allegedly sent a menacing text message to her where he threatened to kill her parents and her sisters.
There was a problem, however: One of the sisters was married to Cirillo. The HPD sergeant confronted him, but his timing led to a quite a coincidence. Officers with the North Haven Police Department were at the scene of the apartment newly leased by the girlfriend and Terrone. She told cops he was removing his possessions from the residence without her permission. Authorities remained with the suspect, waiting for a supervisor to come.
Cirillo arrived first, police said. As seen on body-cam video, the man identified as Cirillo tackles the individual identified as Terrone, all in front of the other officers.
“You’re gonna threaten my family, you motherfucker?” the man yelled.
The officers with the Hamden Police Department put a stop to this.
Cirillo is scheduled for a January 11 court date, and the HPD put him on modified duty, stripped of his police powers. The internal investigation into his behavior is ongoing.
As for Terrone, authorities charged him with second-degree harassment.
[Screengrab via North Haven Police Department]
