Police didn’t have to look far to catch the man who allegedly robbed a bank Monday on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton.
Cops found the suspect, Michael Magliocco, 26, of Bridgeport, at a condo complex near the bank.
Magliocco was arrested roughly four hours after the 10 a.m. robbery at Webster Bank at 375 Bridgeport Ave.
He is scheduled to appear today (Dec. 31) in Superior Court in Derby on charges of first-degree larceny, fourth-degree larceny and second-degree breach of peace.
According to prepared statements from Shelton police, Magliocco handed a teller a note demanding money. The Shelton Herald reported that he indicated he had a bomb.
The teller handed over an unspecified pile of cash. No one was injured.
Shelton police flooded the media with a surveillance pic from inside the bank within 90 minutes of the crime. The photo was widely distributed throughout Connecticut.
Police said they received several calls identifying Magliocco as the man in the photo. They found him at an unnamed condo complex next to the bank property, at an acquaintance’s place, according to police.
Chief Joel Hurliman credited police and detectives for a job well done.
“By catching someone within four hours, I think that is a great piece of work for all involved,” he said.
Judging from the surveillance photo from the bank and the mug shot released by police, Magliocco apparently found the time to shave in the four hours between the bank robbery and his contact with cops.
The Webster Bank robbery is the second bank robbery in Shelton within 30 days. On Dec. 12, two men with guns robbed the Wells Fargo bank on Coram Avenue.
Radio transmissions in that robbery described those suspects as African-American males.
This isn’t Magliocco’s first brush with a law.
In 2009, he used an air pistol to rob a woman as she left a Peoples’ Bank in Bridgeport. He was convicted of attempt to commit first-degree robbery and received an eight-year prison sentence, six of which were suspended after he served two years.
He was also sentenced to five years probation, meaning that he could be looking at serious prison time if he’s found guilty in Shelton.
Bustling Bridgeport Avenue, the driving engine of Shelton’s economy, has also become a hotspot in terms of commercial break-ins.
Between July 1 and Dec. 15, 31 businesses have been burglarized on Bridgeport Avenue.
The pattern is the same — people are breaking into the business after hours and stealing cash. Police believe many — but not all — of those crimes are connected. One person has been arrested, but police think his particular case is isolated.
On Oct. 26, six Bridgeport Avenue businesses were hit in a single night. They were:
- Captain’s Pizza
- Shelton Cleaners
- PJ & Company Hair Salon
- M Sauna & Skin Care
- Subway (494 Bridgeport Ave.)
- Wild Kanji
On Dec. 15, someone broke into the Starbucks on Bridgeport Avenue.
“Many of the commercial burglaries are similar, so while I can’t say they all are related, many appear to be,” Lt. Robert Kozlowsky said in an e‑mail earlier this month. “The suspects are targeting money.”
Police have stepped up patrols on Bridgeport Avenue and are working to catch the people responsible, Kozlowsky said.