Yesterday, Saturday, February 26, 2011 around 7:07AM, officers from District E-5 (West Roxbury) responded to a radio call for a person with a gun at 1650 VFW Parkway in West Roxbury/McDonald’s. While en route, officers were advised that that a white male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and white jeans had just walked into the restaurant and demanded money while displaying a handgun. Officers were also informed that the suspect had thrown the register to the ground before fleeing the restaurant and fleeing through the woods behind the car wash.
On arrival, officers spoke to a clerk who reported that suspect walked, ordered hash browns and as the victim started to process his order the suspect pulled out a gun, pointed at the clerk and exclaimed, “Give me the money!” Another witness reported that once they saw the suspect pull out the gun, they ran to the back of the restaurant and had the manager call 911. Another customer reported to officers that the he was sitting in the restaurant when the suspect walked in and appeared to be agitated that there was another customer in there. The witness further reported that he ran out of the restaurant and informed someone at the car wash when he observed the suspect pull out the gun from his waistband. A third witness informed officers that the suspect was observed running through the woods behind the car wash leading towards New Haven Street.
Officers then went to the area where the suspect was observed fleeing and there observed some footsteps in the direction that the suspect was observed fleeing. Officers then were able to review some video footage of the feeling suspect which showed him one blue plastic glove on one hand and clear plastic tape wrapped on the other hand. Officers, while following the footsteps, recovered a blue plastic glove with clear plastic tape in a construction site on the path that the suspect was observed running. Officers continued following the footsteps and as a result were directed to the driveway of 124 New Haven Street where the footsteps stopped at the rear of a car then to the back stairway of the house.
Officers, as a result of the above discoveries, were able to access the home and there spoke to the homeowner who indicated that she had a 19 year old son. The homeowner provided consent to officers to search the home and once inside, officers observed a pair of sneaker consistent with those followed from the scene of the crime. Officers were then directed to the suspect’s room where they observed a gray hooded sweatshirt consistent with that worn by the suspect in the attempted robbery. The suspect who was present at that time was placed under arrest after being identified by a witness.
Officers subsequently returned to the house armed with a search warrant. During the execution of the search warrant, officers recovered a blue latex glove like that shown in the surveillance video, a gray hooded sweatshirt, a pair of jeans consistent with that worn by the suspect in the video, a pair of Nike sneakers matching the footprints in the snow, a firearm with clear tape on the handle and a roll of plastic tape consistent with that found on the path that officers followed from the restaurant.
The suspect, Robert H. Bunszell, 19 of West Roxbury was arrested and charged with Attempted Armed Robbery, Malicious Destruction of Property, and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.