Police in Naugatuck, Connecticut, have arrested a man they say robbed two people and brandished a fake handgun at an off-duty officer.
Naugatuck Police say they were dispatched to the Big Y parking lot on Bridge Street around 10:15 p.m. Saturday. The two victims reported that they were walking to their vehicles from the Dollar Store nearby when they were approached by a man in a car. The man exited his vehicle, demanded their valuables, and showed a gun. One victim told police the man put the gun to his head and demanded their ID’s when discovering they had no cash.
The victims complied with the suspect’s demands and the suspect fled, according to police. The victims then provided a description of the suspect and his vehicle.
Police say roughly 30 minutes later, an officer who had just gotten off duty was driving his personal car when he noticed a vehicle matching the suspect vehicle description parked at the Express Mart Gas Station on Route 63 near Porter Ave. He noticed a male matching the suspect description fixing a flat tire on the vehicle.
The officer approached the vehicle to get a plate number and asked the man if he needed help. Police say the man then pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the officer, and said “I’m fine.”
The officer pulled away and radioed for assistance. When reinforcements arrived he was able to take the suspect into custody.
Police recovered the stolen cash and ID’s of the Big Y store victims, and also found that the suspect was carrying a fake handgun.
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The suspect was identified as Michael Lopez, 30, of Waterbury, and is currently being held on a $250,000 bond. He is charged with first-degree robbery, sixth-degree larceny, breach of peace, brandishing of facsimile firearms, interfering with an officer: simple assault, and possession of weapons in a vehicle.
