Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested after Standoff

A man sought in connection with an armed robbery in Port Richey was arrested at a motel in New Port Richey on Thursday after a stand-off with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office’s SWAT Team.

Around 2 a.m. Sunday, April 1, Port Richey police officers responded to Catches restaurant, on the north bank of the Pithlachascotee River, to answer a call about an armed robbery. 

The suspects had their faces covered and entered through the back door, according to Port Richey Police Officer Patrick Alu. Five people were in the restaurant during the robbery.The suspects fled before police arrived with roughly $5,500, according to Alu.

Later that morning, police arrested Shane Coursen, who had held the manager of Catches at gunpoint during the robbery. His girlfriend, who helped him escape, was also arrested.

During the investigation, Alexander Curry, a former employee of Catches, was identified as another suspect in the robbery. He was not arrested that day, and police were looking for him.

Before dawn on Thursday, Curry’s vehicle was spotted at the Royal Palm Inn on U.S. 19 in New Port Richey. There were guns recovered from the armed robbery, but one was missing that Curry was “attributed to have,” according to New Port Richey Police Chief James Steffens, who leads the SWAT team. 

Police responded to the motel around 4:45 a.m. Curry barricaded himself in a hotel room at some point.

The SWAT Team, which consists of sheriff’s deputies and New Port Richey police officers, arrived around 7 a.m. and was prepared to deploy “mechanical” and “chemical” tactics to extricate Curry, Steffens said.

Curry was agitated during negotiations with police at some point. He threw his cellphone and the room’s phone out, Steffens said.

“He had contact with relatives that indicated he was not going to be taken alive and that he was going to kill law enforcement officers if given the chance to,” he said. 

However, Curry saw the SWAT team from his motel window. He walked out of his room and surrendered, Steffens said. He was taken into custody around 8:40 a.m. He had been at Royal Palm with associates, but they had already left the room at some point  before his surrender.

There were no injuries, Steffens said. 

Curry, 24, was charged with armed robbery and booked into Land O’ Lakes Jail Thursday in lieu of $50,000.