BRIDGEPORT, CT (May 29, 2026) — A 31-year-old man whose most recent address is in New Rochelle, New York, was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with a domestic assault that prompted a large police response at an apartment building on Sanford Place in Bridgeport.
Bryan James Hernaiz was taken into custody at his workplace in Fairfield on Wednesday morning, according to Bridgeport Police. Authorities said he was served with two felony warrants, including one related to a domestic violence case from 2025 and another stemming from Tuesday’s incident.
Police said patrol officers were called to an apartment building on Sanford Place at approximately 1 p.m. Tuesday after a woman reported that Hernaiz had punched her. Officers believed Hernaiz might be barricaded inside the woman’s apartment and armed with an assault rifle.
A perimeter was established, and a police negotiator and members of the Emergency Services Unit were activated.
Emergency Services officers eventually entered the apartment and found no one inside. However, police said they recovered an AR-15-style assault rifle from a closet, along with two 30-round magazines and 92 rounds of .223-caliber ammunition. The items were seized as evidence.
The victim was treated at the scene by medics for a minor head injury, police said.
Hernaiz is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges of:
- Assault in the Third Degree
- Violation of a Protective Order (four counts)
- Criminal Possession of a Firearm (two counts)
- Risk of Injury to a Child
- Interfering with an Officer
- Threatening in the Second Degree — Violence to Terrorize (two counts)
- Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree
- Illegal Sale/Purchase of a Large Capacity Magazine
- Disorderly Conduct
Police said bonds associated with the charges total $220,000.
Bridgeport Police credited the Patrol Division, Detective Bureau and Emergency Services Unit with the investigation and arrest.
Chief Roderick Porter praised the officers involved.
“The officers and the detectives acted decisively to address the safety of the victim and the community as a whole,” Porter said. “Those same officers and detectives made it a priority to get this suspect into custody and charged appropriately.”
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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