Bedford bank robbery suspect arrested after 5-hour standoff in South Boston
Boston police arrested a New Hampshire man who allegedly robbed a bank inside a Bedford Stop and Shop earlier this week after a five-hour-long standoff Wednesday in South Boston during which he showed an AK-47 style assault rifle, police said.
Stephen Gingras, 39, of Manchester, faces charges of armed robbery, larceny over $250, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, and being a fugitive from justice, according to police.
The alleged robbery occurred at a Citizens Bank inside the grocery store on Great Road. Police said Gingras passed a note to a teller and fled the store with an undetermined amount of cash.
Investigators from the Boston Police Department’s fugitive unit learned that Gingras was staying in a home on Orton-Moratta Way. When officers arrived Tuesday night just after 9 p.m., they found Gingras, who displayed an AK-47 style assault rifle, at the residence, police said.
As a SWAT team entered the home, Gingras attempted to jump out of a window on the second floor, but instead barricaded himself, according to police. After negotiations between Gingras and officers that lasted for hours, the SWAT team forced its way into the room and arrested Gingras around 2:40 a.m., police said.
Police recovered a .762 caliber rifle and ammunition after a five-hour-long standoff with a Bedford bank robbery suspect.
Gingras is wanted on a robbery warrant out of Concord District Court, and is also suspected of robbing a Salem, New Hampshire, bank last week, police said.
Gingras was arraigned in the South Boston Division of Boston Municipal Court Wednesday. He will face also face extradition to New Hampshire, police said.
“Violent crime and robberies are not common in Bedford, but when they occur, the men and women of the Bedford Police Department are well-prepared,” Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said in a statement. “In capturing this suspect quickly we have sent a message, and I am very proud of the work of our officers and our partners in the Boston Police Department.”
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