FITCHBURG, Mass. – Police in Fitchburg are searching man they believe entered a home, handcuffed the homeowner and held him at gunpoint during a robbery.
The incident happened just after noon at a townhouse on Carriageway Drive.
The armed intruder was demanding money and used handcuffs to confine the victim, polce said.
Eventually, the suspect left with just the victim’s phone. According to police, it took an extended amount of time to free the victim from the handcuffs because they could not be unlocked using a standard police-issued key.
Officers used bolt cutters and a screw driver to finally free the man as a crowd of startled neighbors watched on.
93 y/o Beatrice Stepton on armed suspect who handcuffed her neighbor: "Guy's cuckoo!" Intruder at large after stealing cell phone #Boston25 pic.twitter.com/NKokhOb68e
— Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredes) October 25, 2017
“Living here like 20 years it’s the first time someone’s broken into anyone’s house. It’s one of those neighborhoods where you can leave your door unlocked and nobody would come in, guess not anymore,” neighbor Matt Brunck said.
The victim is doing OK but did not want to talk with Boston 25 News about the frightening ordeal. Neighbors say he has two children who live with him. However, it is not clear if they were home during the robbery.
Fitchburg man handcuffed, held hostage by armed intruder. Why officers couldn't take cuffs off the victim on #Boston25 after World Series pic.twitter.com/W2RA3IflP0
— Drew Karedes (@DrewKaredes) October 25, 2017
Detectives tell us the latest information they’ve uncovered in this investigation leads them to believe this was not a random crime. It’s still not clear what potential connection the suspect could have to the victim.
Authorities brought in a K9 unit to search the Fitchburg community for several hours. The suspect remains at large.
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