Stolen school bus involved in robbery
Published on June 14th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham Police are investigating whether a Somerville man that reportedly stole a school bus, and took police officials on high-speed chase from Medford to Tewksbury, was also involved in an attempted armed robbery of the Friendly's Restaurant on Main Street early Monday morning.
According to police reports, Stoneham Police were summoned to Friendly's at 12:37 a.m. for a white male in a dark, hooded sweatshirt that was apparently attempting to rob the eatery after they had closed for the evening.
The suspect reportedly attempted to enter the restaurant and banged on the window as Friendly's employees worked to close the restaurant behind locked doors. The suspect then reportedly threw a boulder through the window and entered the restaurant, to the shocked surprise of the seven workers inside the restaurant.
The suspect reportedly entered the ice cream parlor screaming for money, and the employees locked themselves in the backroom of the building. The group then unlocked the back door and attempted to leave through the parking lot, but the suspect had walked around to the back of the building to meet up with the harried victims.
"He apparently was waiting for them when they opened the door, and witnesses told us that he was pointing something at them...something they believed to be a weapon," said Stoneham Police Lt. Rick McCarthy. "They immediately went back into the restaurant and then waited for Stoneham Police to arrive."
The suspect left the Friendly's area without receiving any money from the Friendly's staff, but was gone prior to Stoneham Police's arrival on the scene.
After further investigation by Stoneham Police officials, they believe that the attempted robbery of the ice cream restaurant may be linked to a Methuen man that reportedly stole a school bus and led police through a police chase early Monday morning.
Luke Caraccio, 21, of Methuen, was charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon, larceny of a motor vehicle and refusal to stop for a police officer after Medford Police pulled the school bus over in the area of High Street at 1:30 a.m.
Medford Police stopped the bus on High Street momentarily, but Caraccio then reportedly sped away as the officer approached the idling school bus and led police on a chase through several towns and highways. Caraccio's runaway bus was eventually stopped on Route 495 in Tewksbury when State Police officials played stop-sticks on the roadway that caused the bus' tires to blow out.
Stoneham Police officials have placed the school bus in the area of Friendly's at the time of the robbery, and are investigating the Caraccio's link to the armed robbery.
"We think there may be a connection between the two incidents, and we're talking things over with the other police departments and gathering all of the evidence from Monday morning's incident in Stoneham," said Stoneham Police Lt. Rick McCarthy. "Suffice to say, you don't see too many school buses driving around Stoneham after midnight."
Caraccio was arraigned Monday morning in Somerville Court on the Medford charges, and the matter is still under investigation by Stoneham Police.
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