Crime & Safety

Three Charged in Armed Robbery at Chipotle [Updated]

The incident was reported at 10:39 p.m. Sunday.

[Editor's note: Arrest information is supplied by the Fairfield Police Department. It does not indicate convictions. This article was updated at 5 p.m. with additional information.]

[Editor's note II: This article was updated at 11:05 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9 with additional charges for the suspects.]

A man and two juveniles are accused of robbing Chipotle Mexican Grill at gunpoint Sunday night.

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An employee at the Grasmere Avenue restaurant called police from the bathroom at 10:39 p.m. after he heard people had entered Chipotle after it had closed.

Responding officers arrived to find the armed suspects had stolen thousands of dollars and fled through the back door of the restaurant. None of the employees reported injuries during the incident. 

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Officer Michael Stahl saw the suspects' car speed away from the parking lot with its headlights turned off. He attempted to stop the car on Commerce Drive but broke off the pursuit due to the fleeing car's reckless driving and speeding.

The car continued into Bridgeport, where it struck an unoccupied vehicle on State Street and rolled onto its roof. The three suspects attempted to flee the crash but Fairfield, Bridgeport, and state police arrested two of the males nearby.

The third male was found hiding in an unlocked home on Dewey Street in Bridgeport. Fairfield's K-9 Officer Ruger located the suspect and he was taken into custody.

Police recovered the two handguns used in the robbery, as well as the cash stolen from the restaurant.

"This was an example of multiple jurisdictions working together to get armed individuals off the streets quickly," Police Chief Gary MacNamara said. "Good cooperation gets good results -- these were great results."

Bridgeport man Randell Clark, 23, and two 15-year-old male juveniles from Bridgeport, were each charged with conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit larceny in the third-degree, and interfering with an officer. 

The juveniles were further charged with first-degree robbery, third-degree larceny, possession of a firearm without a permit, and first-degree reckless endangerment. They were taken to the Juvenile Detention Facility in Bridgeport. 

Clark was sent to court after being released from the hospital Monday, where he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash. 

Clark was further charged Monday afternoon with two counts of risk of injury to a minor, weapons in a motor vehicle, engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, and operating a vehicle without a license. He was held in lieu of a $100,000 bond. 

"This is a dangerous crime, with the potential to be more dangerous with the use of firearms," the chief said. "We're thankful the employees weren't hurt." 


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