Naugatuck police have arrested a man accused of robbing two people and pointing a fake handgun at an off-duty officer.
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, Officer John Julian, 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. and saw a man matching the suspect's description fixing a flat tire on the vehicle.
Julian approached the vehicle to get a plate number and asked the man if he needed help. Police said the man, identified as Michael Lopez, 30, of Waterbury, pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the officer, and said “I’m fine.”
Julian pulled away and radioed for assistance. When reinforcements arrived he was able to take Lopez into custody.
Police recovered the stolen cash and ID’s of the Big Y store victims, and also found that Lopez was carrying a fake handgun.
Lopez is 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.
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Julian has been with the Naugatuck Police Department for 2 and a half years.
