Cops: Darien Man Beaten by Three Greenwich Men in Downtown Stamford

By Leslie Yager and David Gurliacci

A 21-year-old Darien man was beaten and his girlfriend bruised by three Greenwich men in Stamford on Saturday after the victim refused to give one a cigarette, Stamford police said.

Stamford police gave this account (an accusation not proven in court):

At about 2 a.m. Saturday, officers on patrol in front of the Ferguson Library saw three men assaulting another man.

The victim, who was with his 37-year-old girlfriend, said the men approached him while the couple was waiting for a Uber taxi.

The trio demanded he give them a cigarette, but he refused. He only had one left.

One of the men, Eric Macken, 20, became upset and demanded to know why the victim wouldn’t give him the cigarette.  The victim said he was punched in the face by Macken, and fell to the ground where he was kicked in the head by William Rosato, 21. During the assault, the victim’s girlfriend tried to intervene and she was shoved by the men as well.

The three suspects had no explanation for the assault.

Rosato, of Cutler Road in Greenwich and Macken, of Bird Song Place in Riverside, were each charged with third-degree assault, conspiracy to commit third-degree assault and second-degree breach of peace. They were each initially held on  $2,500 and a court date of July 31.

Richard Todd Stafford, 21, of Lake Drive, was charged with second-degree breach of peace and he was initially held on $1,000 bond. Each of the three is scheduled to appear July 31 in state Superior Court in Stamford.

The victim suffered bruises to his face and legs and a cut on his mouth. His girlfriend’s face was bruised.

This article originally was published in different form by Greenwich Free Press: