Details of Two Recent Violent Attacks Become More Clear
- Philip Thibodeau
- 2 hours ago
- 6 min read
A fuller picture is emerging of the confrontation that led to a shooting at Southington’s Cadillac Ranch on July 15.
The July 20 confrontation between youths on ebikes and a motorcyclist on Main Street has also become clearer thanks to video evidence that can be compared with the police report.
The following account synthesizes reporting by staff at the Hartford Courant and by Bruce Mattazarro, Jr., of CT Insider. It incorporates analysis from John E. Bunch II of Black Dragon TV, a "motorcycle club historian and protocol expert," evaluates videos posted (with permission) by the Facebook page New England Unfiltered, and summarizes official reports released by the Southington Police Department and Connecticut State Police.
Note that every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent until and unless their guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Cadillac Ranch Incident
On the evening of July 15, Cadillac Ranch at 45 Jude Lane was holding its monthly “Bike Night.” Typically the event brings in several hundred motorcycle enthusiasts and members of motorcycle clubs. Proceeds from the event were to benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It was sponsored by Haymond Law Firm, a Hartford-based firm that specializes in personal injury compensation, and Yankee Harley Davidson.
Among those who came to the event were 44-year old Francis Imperato III of Griswold, Connecticut, and his father. Imperato is listed by the State of Connecticut as the owner of Bully Baggerz & Son, LLC, a motorcyle repair shop in Jewett City, Connecticut.
Around 6:30pm, the younger Imperato was reportedly approached by an individual who said that he was unhappy with the work that was done on his motorcycle seven years ago and wanted his money back. CTInsider, drawing on police reports, has given the name of the individual as Chris Sneider.
Imperato told police that Sneider was accompanied by several other individuals. He said that Sneider then punched him in the face, and that once his father tried to separate the two, the rest of the assailants joined in. While his father was pinned to the ground, Imperato said he was subject to assault. He said the assailants attempted to pull off his jewelry and his clothes, as well as his loaded gun, a Glock 43X, which he had in a holster tucked inside his waistband. He reported that his gun was taken from him and that he subsequently heard it discharge. The men, he said, took turns punching, kicking, and hitting him with what he said felt like a hammer. He said he did not fire his gun.
When the gun discharged, a 25-year old man named Justin Woodbury was struck in the chest by a bullet and critically injured. He was later taken to the hospital. His brother, 31-year old Harley Woodbury of Terryville, told police that he was some distance away when the gun discharged and raced to the scene, where he found that his brother had been shot. He said that he then joined the assault on Imperato, thinking that he had pulled the trigger. He also said that he grabbed and threw the Glock.
Southington Police arrived on the scene and gained control of it with help from police departments in neighboring towns. During the initial investigation, police found a single shell casing on the ground about ten feet from the location of the shooting victim. They swabbed Imperato’s hands for signs of gunshot residue. Apparently finding none, they did not take him into custody, and informed him that he was free to leave the hospital whenever doctors allowed it.
Cadillac Ranch’s owner Peter Griffin allowed police to examine video taken by the facility’s surveillance cameras. He told them that the camera aimed at the area of the altercation was not working, while the cameras that were working were pointed elsewhere. Accordingly police had to rely on video provided by a witness to identify the assailants.
After reviewing the witness’s video, police identified five men involved in the assault on Imperato. Four were arrested and charged with assault: James McDermott, 52, of Waterbury, Gerard McAfee, 54, of Branford, Philip Gugliotti, 55, of Waterbury and Harley Woodbury, 31, of Terryville.
A fifth individual said by police to be involved in the assault left the scene.
Four more men were arrested for interfering with an officer: Kevin Lawlor, 48, of Derby, William Schneiter, 60, of Baltic, Marc Debenigno, 49, of Waterbury and Zarif Ramadanov, 46, of Bethany.
A police officer at the scene reported that the individuals involved in the “commotion” were wearing the black and red sleeveless vests of the Diablo motorcycle club. He also said that the shooting victim was wearing a Diablos vest. The booking photos show Debenigno, Lawlor, Ramadanov, and Schneiter wearing Diablos vests, and Gugliotti with Diablos tattoos.
The Diablos Motorcycle Club is a nationwide ‘outlaw’ motorcycle club founded in 1961 by Meriden native John J. Baltas. The club has a clubhouse in Meriden. In 2019, repeated brawls between the Diablos and their rivals, the Outlaws, at Plainville’s Central Cafe led state officials to suspend the restaurant’s liquor license and shut it down.
A GoFundMe account was set up for the shooting victim soon after the incident. The GoFundMe page states, in part: “Justin Woodbury, Virginia’s beloved son, was tragically caught in the crossfire as an innocent bystander at the Cadillac Ranch. Justin was struck by a stray bullet, resulting in significant injuries that have left him on life-support. He is expected to remain in the hospital for several months, facing multiple surgeries and a long road of rehabilitation ahead. This sudden and senseless event has turned Justin’s life upside down, and the emotional toll on his family has been immense.”
Since then the account has raised $28,648 towards its $30,000 goal. On July 26, according to the page, the largest contribution was $666 from DIABLOS MERIDEN. The page has since been taken down.
Two days later, on July 17, an explosive device was set off at Imperato’s motorcycle repair shop in Jewett City. Investigators identified it as an illegal, M-class explosive device consisting of a tube filled with flash powder and detonated with a hobby fuse. The explosion inflicted light damage on the shop.
On the night of July 23, Kevin Lawlor, one of the men from the Cadillac Ranch incident charged with interfering with an officer, was arrested in connection with the explosion. Lawlor was charged on four counts, including conspiracy to commit arson. The arrest warrant for Lawlor says, “This is an active investigation with additional arrests anticipated.”
Cadillac Ranch has cancelled its Bike Nights for the remainder of the year.
Youth Attack on a Motorcyclist
On Monday, July 20, just five days after the incident at Cadillac Ranch, an apparently unrelated attack occurred in Southington when a group of youths fought with a man riding a motorcycle on Main Street.
Videos purportedly taken by the teenagers and footage from nearby homeowners shows the events from multiple angles. While the videos reveal what transpired, they do not make clear what was said or what motivated any of the subsequent actions.
At around 2pm, a group of about 30 youths on ebikes, bicycles, and mopeds riding southbound near 503 Main Street passed a 58-year old man on a motorcycle. While it seems likely that some of the youths were from Southington, not all were, since the two who were later arrested were residents of Waterbury and Cheshire.
The incident began when the youths and the motorcycle rider exchanged words. Subsequently the entire group came to a halt in the street, blocking traffic. The motorcyclist got off his bike and began to face off with a youth dressed in black clothes with a black balaclava over his face. As they circled one another, one youth tried to hold back the youth in black. Then a third youth went over to the man’s stationary motorcycle and touched it. When the motorcyclist lunged at him, he was attacked by the two aggressive youths and a third who joined in. They tackled him to the ground and proceeded to punch and kick him and take his cellphone.
The youth dressed in black drew what police later identified as a screwdriver and struck at least twice at the man’s lower back.
About two minutes passed between the initial encounter and the arrival of police. The homeowner’s video shows many of the youths fleeing before police arrived.
Police arrested 20-year old Kevin Manuel Rodriguez of Waterbury and changed him on eight counts, including –
Criminal Attempt to Commit Assault in the First Degree
Conspiracy to Commit Assault in the First Degree
Assault in the Second Degree
Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree
Riot in the Second Degree
Unlawful Assembly
Threatening in the Second Degree
Breach of Peace in the Second Degree
Police also arrested a 13-year old from Cheshire and charged him with seven counts, including –
Robbery in the First Degree
Conspiracy to Commit Robbery in the First Degree
Larceny in the Fourth Degree
Assault in the Third Degree
Riot in the Second Degree
Unlawful Assembly
Two counts of Breach of Peace in the Second Degree
Because of his age, police will not release his name.
The Outsider invited local leaders from both parties to comment on the recent attacks. We will be sharing their complete responses in a future article.
