Alleged NStar Impersonator Arrested at Snappy Sushi

The following was posted on the Boston Police blog for District D4:

At about 6:37pm, on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, an officer performing a paid detail in the area of Boylston & Clarendon Streets was approached by an employee of Snappy Sushi who stated she needed help. The employee then instructed the detail officer to follow her back to the restaurant located at 108 Newbury Street. On arrival, the detail officer entered the restaurant and observed an altercation between several restaurant employees and an individual wearing an orange-colored NStar jacket. Seeing this, the officer quickly intervened and separated the combatants.

According to the employees, the man in the NStar jacket entered the restaurant, identified himself as an NStar employee and stated that he needed to read the meter. According to restaurant personnel, the manager of the restaurant led the suspect to the basement where the meter was located but, as soon as they got to the basement, the restaurant manager states that the suspect showed a knife and demanded access to the restaurant’s safe.

According to the manager, when he told the suspect that all the money was kept upstairs, the suspect attempted to zip tie the manager’s hands. At this point, the manager began fighting with the suspect. During the altercation, the manager suffered a laceration to the hand. When the suspect ran upstairs in an effort to make good his escape, the manager, running after him, began yelling to employees upstairs to stop the suspect because the suspect had just tried to rob the store. At this point, several employees intervened in an effort to detain the suspect.   

Officers arrested Barry Shea, 43, of Boston and charged him with Armed Robbery and Assault & Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon (knife).

The restaurant manager was transported to the New England Medical Center where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.