Ascutney Robbery Suspect Shot by Police
Mark Triolo alleged robbed the Sunoco convenience store in Weathersfield, Vermont and the Allen Brothers store in Westminster, Vermont just before 8 p.m. and 8:26 p.m. respectively, prompting an extensive search that led to officers searching for the black Kia sport-utility vehicle he had been driving just before 9 p.m., according to Vermont State Police.
Brattleboro, Vermont, police officers spotted the vehicle in a parking lot and pursued it when the driver fled, with the driver eventually eluding police but stopping in a driveway off a rural road in Brattleboro, police said in a news release. He tried to hide, but a resident who saw him pull in his driveway called police, leading to a confrontation in a wooded area.
Triolo refused to surrender, and three officers from the Brattleboro Police Department and a state trooper shot at him, hitting him several times, according to Vermont State Police. None of the officers was seriously injured, according to Brattleboro Police. It was unclear what, if any, injuries they did suffer, however. Crime scene detectives found an unloaded Daisy Powerline 340 pellet gun in the front seat of the car.
Triolo was taken to a hospital in Brattleboro before he was transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire. The extent of his injuries was unclear early Saturday, but a WCAX-TV report said the suspect was expected to survive.
Police said Triolo, 46, of Lewisville, Texas, has an extensive criminal record that included prior robbery convictions in Texas, and he was on parole. He is also a suspect for an armed robbery in Vergennes on May 1. There are arrest warrants in Texas and New York for Triolo. The 2007 Kia Sorento he was driving was stolen in Texas, police said.
Detectives are working with local law enforcement, the FBI and state and federal prosecutors regarding the crimes in Vermont and elsewhere.
The VSP Major Crime Unit is investigating the officer-involved shooting with the Windham County State’s Attorney. Upon completion of that investigation, the shooting will be reviewed by the Vermont Attorney General’s Office.
All four police officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, according to the press release.