Taunton man who was stabbed by clerk in violent armed robbery sentenced to prison

A 39-year-old Taunton man who committed a violent armed robbery at a gas station in Taunton last summer was sentenced to state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Christopher Azevedo pled guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with Armed Robbery, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and was sentenced to serve four-and-a-half to six years in prison.

On June 22, 2022, Taunton Police were called to the Geko gas station for an armed robbery.

The clerk, who was hospitalized, told police that he was taking a gas delivery when the masked and hooded defendant came into the office area. Azevedo was armed with a very large knife and ordered the clerk to put the money in a bag or get stabbed. The clerk struggled with Azevedo, during which the clerk was able to get the large knife from the robber. Azevedo initially had pinned the clerk to the ground, but once the clerk was able to disarm him, he stabbed the robber multiple times. The clerk suffered some abrasions to his hands, arms and forehead and a cut to his hand during the incident.

Even after being stabbed, Azevedo would not leave and was still attempting to get money from the store. He tried to strike the clerk with a metal display rack and eventually grabbed the cash register drawer and left on foot. The register drawer, and sweatpants consistent with the robber’s sweatpants, were found in the area with blood on them. A review of the surveillance footage showed the entire incident just as the clerk described it.

Taunton Police posted still photos of the robber on social media and received anonymous tips that Azevedo was the one who committed the robbery. When police went to his home, they found a bloody sweatshirt, bloody sneakers, and noted that Azevedo had stab wounds consistent with where he was stabbed during the robbery.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Thompson and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Sharon Donatelle.