UPDATE: Police Arrest Second of 2 Saturday Robbery Suspects

Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, announced early Friday evening the arrest of a 16-year-old juvenile male from Springfield, Mass. on charges related to the early morning robberies in Coventry and Cranston on Saturday, Jan. 4. 

According to RI State Police, the investigation resulted in the Rhode Island Family Court issuing an arrest warrant for the juvenile suspect who was arrested at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 10 in Springfield, Mass. by members of both the Massachusetts and Rhode Island state police. He was presented to the Hampton County Juvenile Court where he was ordered held without bail pending an extradition hearing. 

He was later arraigned on the following charges:

• First Degree Robbery
• Conspiracy to commit First Degree Robbery
• Second Degree Robbery
• Conspiracy to commit Second Degree Robbery
• Carrying Dangerous Weapon when Committing a Crime of Violence

Following Saturday morning's burglary at X-tra Mart on Tiogue Avenue in Coventry and a Shell gas station at 1207 Pontiac Avenue in Cranston, police officers from several local agencies worked to locate the armed suspects. 

At 7:30 a.m. that morning, police arrested Monchi Castillo, 23, of 17 Montpellier St., 3rd Floor, Springfield, Mass., at the 1016 Centerville Road Dunkin Donuts in Warwick in connection with the robberies. Castillo was later arraigned at State Police Headquarters on the same five charges listed above.

State Police say although there are no other suspects, the investigation into the Jan. 4 robberies is ongoing. The same suspects are believed to have committed similar robberies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. 

Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell stated “I commend all of the agencies involved including the Rhode Island State Police Detective Bureau, Coventry Police Department, Cranston Police Department, Warwick Police Department, Uxbridge Police Department, North Hampton Police Department, Springfield Police Department, Massachusetts State Police, United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office for their diligence and dedication to this interagency collaboration, which lead to the quick and efficient apprehension of these two suspects and took two dangerous individuals off the street.”

Click here for earlier coverage of this investigation.