Gusanoz targeted in Friday robbery
The Hanover Police has stepped up patrols near Gusanoz after the restaurant was robbed on Friday, according to Gusanoz co-owner Nick Yager.
By Conrad Scoville, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Monday, October 12, 2009
Gusanoz Mexican Restaurant in downtown Hanover was robbed at gunpoint early Friday morning, according to Hanover Police. The suspects — who remain at large — left with a “substantial quantity” of money, Gusanoz co-owner Nick Yager said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Two individuals entered the restaurant shortly after midnight Friday and confronted a single employee, Yager said. The men demanded money from the employee, who then gave them cash from multiple locations in the restaurant, Yager said.
The individuals were described by police as white males wearing dark colored sweatshirts and bandanas over their faces.
There were no other employees or customers in the restaurant at the time, and there were no reported injuries, according to Yager.
The suspects left the restaurant without further incident.
Both the Hanover and Lebanon police departments searched the Hanover downtown area, and a police canine was brought from Lebanon to aid in the investigation, according to a Hanover Police press release.
Aside from the one employee, there were no other known witnesses, Yager said, adding that he could not expand on details of the investigation due to a request from Hanover Police.
Security camera footage of the robbery was not available from inside the restaurant, Yager said, but outdoor cameras operated by the Town of Hanover may have captured images of the suspects.
Yager said there are now cameras inside the restaurant, though he could not comment on whether they were present at the time the incident took place.
“I guess you can look at this as a good wake up call,” he said.
The restaurant may now take additional safety precautions, Yager said.
Hanover Police has not formally informed the restaurant as to whether it will increase police presence in the wake of the incident, although Yager said he has observed additional police patrols in the area since Friday.
“I think there will be more drive-bys, more observations,” he said.
Before the robbery, the restaurant was not particularly concerned with security issues.
“We’ve definitely been pretty lax in our security procedures,” Yager, who grew up in Hanover, said, noting that this was the second violent crime he could remember in the town.
Interim director of Safety and Security Keiselim Montas sent out an alert to the Dartmouth community on Friday morning soliciting information about the case and advising students to be cautious.
Hanover Police Chief Nicholas Giaccone could not be reached for comment by press time.