Police: Fall River man arrested in armed robbery after injuring senior clerk

A Fall River man was arrested last week after allegedly robbing a store and injuring the clerk.

According to Lieutenant Jay Huard, on Wednesday, May 20, at approximately 11:20 a.m., Fall River Police units responded to Sunny’s Convenience Store, located at 562 North Main St., in regards to an armed robbery.

Upon arrival, officers observed that the male clerk working behind the counter had been struck in the head twice with a blunt object by the assailant. The strikes had caused a severe laceration.

The preliminary investigation that was conducted by Officer Christopher Rocha revealed that the male suspect entered the store while other customers were inside. The suspect was dressed in a hooded sweatshirt that was pulled over the top portion of his head, tan pants, black sneakers, and a medical mask. The suspect waited in the back of the store, pretending that he was shopping while taking items off of the shelf. The man waited for all customers to exit the store before he brought the items to the counter. Once at the counter, the suspect removed a blunt object from his clothing and struck the clerk twice in the head, demanding him to open the cash register. The clerk complied and the suspect reached into the register and stole an unidentified amount of money. The suspect fled the store on foot.

Major Crimes Division Detectives and Crime Scene Detectives arrived on scene to assist in the investigation. Lead Detective Derek Beaulieu alerted Crime Scene Detective Jon Rose to items that appeared to be out of place in the counter area. The items were seized by Detective Rose and would later be processed for fingerprint evidence.

The follow up investigation resulted in a suspect. 24-year-old Raul Ortiz of Kilburn Street in Fall River. CSU Detective Rose was able to develop two latent fingerprints on items that were touched by Ortiz during the robbery, according to police. The friction ridge prints that were lifted positively identified the suspect as Raul Ortiz.

On May 22, Detectives located Ortiz outside of Family Farm Convenience store at 228 County Street. Ortiz was placed under arrest for the robbery without incident.

Ortiz was charged with Armed Robbery and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon on a person over 60.

Police Chief Jeffrey Cardoza stated, “The Fall River Police Department Crime Scene Unit does exceptional work. I applaud Detective Rose for his technical skills that helped solve this violent crime”.