SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts (WGGB/WSHM) — Six suspects allegedly involved in 14 armed robberies at 11 different locations over the past few months were arrested by Springfield police this week.
We spoke exclusively to a store employee who witnessed the crime himself.
She wishes to remain anonymous, but the details she shared were traumatic and she told us she is relieved that the suspects are behind bars.
“Honestly, I don’t know what stopped him from shooting me. He had his gun pointed right at my nose, as if he wanted to shoot me for just $1,200,” she recalls.
Similar crimes occurred between April and September, with nine of them occurring in the last two weeks.
Springfield Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers told Western Mass News that the robberies were becoming more violent and that he believed police got the suspects off the streets just in time.
“The defendants who were arrested went in and were not friendly to the employees, they treated them roughly. In one incident there were serious injuries. Nothing life-threatening, but they were quite abusive to the employee. Frequently they would go in and take away his personal belongings,” Akers explained.
An employee who wished to remain anonymous shared her first-hand experience exclusively with Western Mass News.
“He pointed his gun at me and asked me for the phone. I said, ‘Here, just take it and walk away.’ But then he started attacking me and one of the customers and while he was doing that, the other guy jumped over the counter, pointed the gun at me and took everything we had here.”
The six suspects charged with this crime are 22-year-old Javan Resto, 29-year-old Carlos Resto Jr., 33-year-old Malwin Feliciano, 48-year-old Carlos Resto Sr. and two 17-year-olds. All are accused of armed robbery.
The caseworker we spoke to told us that she could tell the suspects were young, even though they were wearing masks over their faces.
“I really believe I told you earlier that they were no older than 18,” she told us after finding out that two of the robbers were 17 years old.
Now she is asking parents to keep their children away from guns.
“I’m sorry, but keep these things out of the reach of children.”
The suspects are believed to be connected to robberies in surrounding towns and cities, but the investigation is ongoing. The suspects, all over the age of 18, will appear in court on September 26 for a dangerousness hearing.
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