A Massachusetts man has been arrested after police found him and his vehicle inside a liquor store, smoking a cigar and drinking a beer.
Officers responded to Rapid Liquors in Stoneham, Massachusetts at around 1:05 a.m. for a report of a burglary alarm being triggered. Upon arriving at the scene, they found that a man had crashed his car through the front door of the business and helped himself to some of the food, cigars, beer, and bourbon inside.
The man, later identified as 54 year old John Bacigalupo, was standing near the cash registers, drinking a beer, smoking a cigar, and eating potato chips.
According to Stoneham police Chief James McIntyre, officers ordered Bacigalupo to leave the store, but the suspect refused to comply.
Bacigalupo then claimed that he was armed with a gun, then told officers that they needed to shoot him, and motioned behind his back to his waistline. As the suspect continued with this behavior, two officers deployed their tasers three times in an attempt to deescalate the situation. According to McIntyre, the weapons had no effect on Bacigalupo.
The officers then attempted to take the suspect into custody and a struggle ensued. One officer was struck in the face, and merchandise fell from the shelves. Ultimately, Bacigalupo was arrested. He refused medical treatment, and was brought to the Stoneham Police Station.
In a post on Facebook, Rapid Liquors joked that the “overnight ‘drive-thru renovation'” did not go as planned and informed their customers that the store’s opening would be delayed due to necessary repairs. The post also included pictures from the incident, showing the car that crashed through their front window.
The store opened just a half an hour late that day, with Rapid Liquors posting another joking message to their Facebook, which read: “We’re OPEN for all your beer, chips, cigars and bourbon needs! Please park in the lot and don’t drive through the doors!”
Bacigalupo has been charged with assault and battery on a police officer, breaking and entering in the nighttime, larceny under $1,200, malicious destruction of property under $1,200, malicious destruction of property over $1,200, and resisting arrest. He has ties to organized crime, and was convicted of killing a well-known mob enforcer in the 1990s. The conviction was thrown out in 2009.
The incident remains under investigation by Stoneham police.
