Men Arrested in Knife Robbery Against Bhutanese Residents

Two weeks ago there was an early morning armed robbery on East Side Drive and now, police believe they have the men involved in the violent incident.

On Oct. 25, police arrested Tyler Burley, 19, and Brett Reno, 19, both of East Side Drive, on various charges related to the incident.

According to Lt. Timothy O’Malley, the commander of the criminal investigations unit, on Oct. 13, officers were called to East Side Drive around 2 a.m. for a report of an assault. Four victims alleged that two men who demanded cash had held them up at knifepoint.

“The victims reported that they had taken a bag of trash to an outside dumpster and were returning to their apartment when they were confronted by two white male suspects,” O’Malley said in a statement. "The victims stated that one of the suspects, described as the taller of the two, held a knife in his hand which he pointed at them. The victims stated that both suspects told them, ‘Give us twenty dollars or we will kill you guys.’”

The alleged victims, who are Bhutanese, refused to hand over their money and one of the suspects allegedly struck one of the victims in the face with his hand. The victims said they “tried to resolve the situation by reasoning with the suspects,” but the taller suspect allegedly punched another person in the mouth, “causing a severe laceration to his lip.”

The victims fled the scene to a vehicle and then drove out of the parking lot of the apartment complex. The suspects also fled the scene. The victims drove to a friend’s house and called 911.

Police began to investigate the incident and alleged that Burley was the tall suspect who pulled out the knife and Reno was the other suspect.

“It is alleged that both suspects demanded cash from the victims and that they conspired to commit the crime together,” O’Malley said. “The suspects live together in an apartment at the same complex where the incident occurred. Some of the victims also live in that complex.”

On Friday afternoon, police arrested Burley and charged him with four counts of felony-armed robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, four felony counts, simple assault, and criminal mischief. Reno was charged with four felony counts of both criminal liability for conduct of another, robbery, and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was also charged with simple assault.

“The victims believed that they were specifically targeted because of their national origin and an apparent belief by the suspects that they would not report the crime,” O’Malley stated. “The victims are all of Bhutanese heritage and speak Nepali as their first language. The suspects allegedly told the victims that they knew they were Nepali and that they wouldn’t report the crime to the police.”

Burley and Reno were held without bail and will be arraigned later today in court.

The two are not strangers to police, according to previous arrest reports and court documents.

Burley was arrested in 2011 and indicted in 2012 on a stabbing incident in Penacook. He was arrested last month on a bench warrant.

Reno was arrested in April of this year after a neighborhood scuffle on East Side Drive. Previously, he was arrested in 2012 on various charges including second-degree assault with a steak knife.

O’Malley noted that the incident is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information is urged to call the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100.