Second person arrested in connection human trafficking incidents in Hartford
A second person was arrested in connection with “organized sex trafficking involving juveniles,” police said on Wednesday.
The Hartford Police Department’s Special Investigations Division and the Regionalized Human Trafficking Task
Force investigated reports of human trafficking in September 2025 and found that two minors were being trafficked through an online application and transported to a location in Hartford, according to police.
On Dec. 23, 2025, 27-year-old Akeem Harris of Waterbury was arrested and charged with two counts of trafficking in persons and two counts of risk of injury to a minor, police said.
Police said that as the investigation continued, they identified a second suspect, 23-year-old Shai Broaden of Hartford.
She is already in jail, but the warrant was served via the habeas process on Tuesday for her role in the incidents.
The investigation is ongoing. Police said they expect to arrest more people in connection with these incidents.
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