2 men arrested in connection with armed robbery at Aroma Brazil grocery store in Milford
MILFORD - A Milford neighborhood was put on lockdown Monday as police searched for the men who allegedly robbed Aroma Brazil, a popular grocery store in town, at gunpoint last week.
Police spent hours searching a home on West Street before eventually arresting 26-year-old Daniel Generoso. After what police describe as a prolonged standoff, they arrested Generoso inside his home. Not long after, police could be seen searching rooms inside.
Just before 11 p.m., Milford police arrested a second suspect at the Holiday Inn Express on Fortune Blvd. Police said Lucas Morreira Fontenelle of Framingham was taken into custody "following an extensive investigation and surveillance."
Investigators say Generoso and Fontenelle were involved in the armed robbery on Tuesday, January 9.
Fontenelle alleged cased the store minutes before the robbery.
Police say a third man was waiting outside in a getaway car. According to Tusino, charges are pending against that person and the vehicle has been recovered.
Police chief Robert Tusino said the Brazilian community was critical in tracking down the suspects.
"They were beside themselves that this happened. All the conversations I had with the Brazilian community started with 'This is not indicative of us, this is not what we want.' They were very upset and very eager to see these people taken into custody," he said.
Surveillance video showed two gunmen enter Aroma Brazil.
One orders an employee to empty the cash register as the other holds a different employee at near gunpoint, threatening anyone who tried calling police.
Neighbors, including Ti Ferrelli, were ordered to shelter in place during the search on West Street.
"My brother looked out the bathroom window and he said you will not believe this. I am looking at the neighbor's house next door and there is a man with a rifle in the backyard. I said pull the shade down please," Ferrelli said.
The alleged robbers appeared to keep a low profile for the past week, but something brought police and a SWAT team to the home Monday afternoon.
Neighbors say they know little about Generoso but feel uneasy knowing one other person is still on the run.
The tense and sprawling response is unsettling for many like Ferrelli, who was finally able to reunite with her mother.
"It was just a scary experience to have something like that going on," Ferrelli said.
