One Charged with Bike Theft, Two Sent to Hospital

[Editor's Note: Arrest information is supplied by the . It does not indicate convictions.]

A Bridgeport man was charged with sixth-degree larceny Wednesday after he allegedly stole a bike while fleeing an altercation in Fairfield, police said.

Pedro Mercedes, 18, and three other males were reportedly playing a game of basketball in the neighborhood of Sunny Home Drive when an argument broke out, according to the police report.

Mercedes and two others reportedly started to chase a fourth male. They were all on bikes; police determined Mercedes' was stolen, but are still investigating the incident. The cause of the argument was not disclosed.

While on the chase, two males sharing a bike were struck by a vehicle when they rode through the intersection of Old Post Road and Belmont Drive. A witness called in the accident and also reported seeing a white male (the fourth male) running on foot on Old Post Road.

Before police arrived on the scene of the accident, one of the injured teens reportedly tossed something away from them. Police later discovered the item to be a bag of marijuana.

The teens were transported to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver will not be charged for the accident, according to police.

While the accident and the incident that spurred the chase remain under investigation, the fourth male -- whom police have not tracked down yet -- reportedly tried to pawn his bicycle at on the Brick Walk Promenade.

Police charged Mercedes, who allegedly took the bike he was riding from a Sunny Home Drive yard, and returned the bike to its owner. Mercedes was released on a promise to appear in court on July 2.