BOSTON — A father and son duo from Charlestown were arrested Friday for allegedly staging an armed robbery at a downtown Boston restaurant in December, Boston Police Department officials said.
Scott Douglas, 36, and his son, Nickolas Lao, 19, were taken into custody following the execution of arrest and search warrants by detectives from District A-1 (Downtown Boston).
The arrests are the result of an investigation into a reported armed robbery at Cava restaurant on Summer Street on the evening of December 29.
Officers responded to the scene around 10:34 p.m. after receiving a report of an armed robbery at the restaurant.
The caller claimed that a suspect armed with an assault rifle had robbed the establishment at closing time and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Despite a search, the suspect was not found.
Further investigation by detectives cast doubt on the validity of the reported crime.
It was discovered that Douglas, an employee at the restaurant, had conspired with his son Lao to fabricate the robbery.
The two misled officers and provided false details of the incident to authorities.
During the subsequent arrests and searches at their Charlestown residences, detectives uncovered physical evidence supporting their findings.
Both Douglas and Lao are scheduled to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.
Douglas faces charges of larceny over $1200, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, filing a false crime report, and withholding evidence from a criminal proceeding.
Lao has been charged with larceny over $1200 and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.
