“You work everyday, you try and make a living and then somebody comes out of nowhere and kind of takes it apart,” said Paul Palma, whose family owns the diner.
Jimmie Shoemaker-Gonzalez, 39, had a hospital arraignment in New Britain Superior Court on Friday after police named him the suspect in multiple carjacking incidents on Thursday.
He is currently being charged with larceny in the first degree, with bail set at $500,000.
Officials say it was a matter that stemmed from two previous carjacking incidents earlier that day, the second of which happened at knifepoint at an apartment complex in Farmington.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
“I was really in shock because this is a really safe neighborhood and to have it close to home, you get really scared,” said Carla Hazzam of Farmington.
The Office of Inspector General says Bristol police officers located that car, then pursued Shoemaker-Gonzalez on foot, calling multiple times for him to surrender.
As revealed in body cam footage from the Office of Inspector General, as well as court documents, that’s when the suspect took off in the cruiser, but not before being shot in the leg by police.
"Everybody made it out safe, nobody inside was hurt. That's what's most important to us," Palma said.
After crashing the vehicle, court documents say Shoemaker-Gonzalez was taken into custody and eventually the hospital.
“As a community, come on, we need to stand up together, not steal from each other,” Hazzam said.
Shoemaker-Gonzalez is expected to appear at New Britain Superior Court on Jan. 27.
The incident is still under investigation.
