Homeless Man Accused Of Robbing Barnes & Noble: Stamford Police

STAMFORD, CT — A 37-year-old homeless man was charged on Wednesday after police said he robbed the Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Stamford Town Center on Oct. 9.

Michael Larocco was served with an arrest warrant on Wednesday that charges him with first-degree robbery and sixth-degree larceny, according to Capt. Richard Conklin of the Stamford Police Department. Larocco was also given a court-set bond of $75,000.

Conklin said Larocco was already jailed in connection with a downtown assault that took place the day after the robbery.

On Oct. 9 at around 3:10 p.m., Conklin said a man walked into Barnes & Noble and handed a note to the cashier saying that he had a gun and wanted cash. The cashier gave him $100 and the man left, Conklin said.

Officer Damien Rosa of the SPD reviewed surveillance footage from the bookstore and nearby businesses and identified Larocco, and obtained an arrest warrant; patrol officers and the cashier later identified him, Conklin noted.

On the evening of Oct. 10, Conklin said Larocco hit a woman in the head with a water bottle after she refused to give him money while he was panhandling in the area of 218 Bedford St.

Conklin said Larocco threatened to get a gun and a knife. Larocco was arrested and charged with breach of peace and threatening, and given a court-set bond of $2,500 in that case.

Conklin praised Rosa for his work on the surveillance footage that helped identify Larocco in the robbery case.