New Britain police have arrested a man who is accused of committing one armed robbery and two attempted robberies in less than an hour last Friday.
In a span of less than an hour, 42-year-old Larry Lopez, of New Britain, tried to rob TD Bank; then went through a ceiling in an attempt to rob a Kentucky Fried Chicken and attacked employees with a sledgehammer; then he robbed a liquor store, according to police.
Officers responded to the TD Bank at 178 Main St. at 4:21 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 when employees called to report a masked man went into the bank them left immediately after bank employees confronted him.
At 4:36 p.m., officers were called to Kentucky Fried Chicken at 412 West Main St. when an assault was reported.
Investigators determined that a man went into the restaurant bathroom, then through the ceiling and into the employee area of the restaurant.
The man, who was wearing a mask, attacked two employees with a small sledgehammer, demanded money but ran off before getting anything, police said.
Both employees were injured in the attack.
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At 5:15 p.m., officers were called to the Step up Package store at 200 Oak St. after a robbery.
The store owner told them a man wearing a mask went into the store carrying a chisel and headed straight to the cash register, so the store owner and customers left the store to get to safety.
The man left with money and a customer chased him to try and catch him, police said.
Police identified Lopez as the suspect and arrested them.
They said he was charged with criminal attempt to commit robbery in the second degree in connection with the TD Bank incident; two counts of criminal attempt to commit robbery in the first degree and two counts of assault in the first degree in connection with the KFC incident and robbery in the first degree, larceny in the sixth degree and criminal mischief in the second degree in connection with the robbery at the Step up Package store.
Lopez is being held on a $1.1 million bond.
