HAMPSTEAD, N.H. (WHDH) - What started as a convenience store robbery in New Hampshire ended with two arrests after a hostage situation, according to Hampstead Police.
Police were first called to Emerson Avenue early Monday morning for reports of an armed robbery at an XtraMart store, according to Deputy Chief Robert Kelley.
In a press release, he described how an officer arrived at around 2 a.m. to learn a male suspect had allegedly come into the store with a gun, committing a robbery before escaping in a dark-colored sedan.
The same officer located the vehicle a short time later on Route 111, Kelley said, leading to a brief chase before the sedan turned onto Hickory Road and pulled into a driveway.
When the officer tried to speak with the car’s occupants, a male passenger held up a gun to the head of the driver, a woman, who then sped off and managed to elude police for several minutes.
A call then came in for reports of an armed home invasion on Wellington Drive, further down Route 111, where the same vehicle was found in a home’s driveaway.
State and nearby police departments called for the initial vehicle search joined in as authorities were informed several members of the Wellington Drive household were allegedly being held at gunpoint.
As the situation turned into a stand-off, police determined the armed suspect to be Jose Robles, 39, of Taunton while the driver of the vehicle was Camille Knox, 37, of Athol.
Police said Robles tried to leave the building in the homeowner’s vehicle multiple times, holding a gun to one of the resident’s head, but was blocked by officers who kept the vehicle from leaving the garage area.
Over the course of the standoff, the homeowner’s children and their grandmother were able to escape. Knox also exited the house and informed police that, in addition to being Robles’s fiancé, the two were homeless and that Robles was under the influence of several drugs, including cocaine and what she considered to be meth.
At 4:30 a.m., nearly two hours after the suspect first arrived at Wellington Drive, police said the last hostage was able to escape. The victim made it out after Robles appeared to take an unknown number of pills and “passed out,” according to authorities.
A Southern New Hampshire Special Operations Unit team then entered the home and arrested Robles.
Police then determined the firearm allegedly used by Robles was a BB gun, and that Knox had acted as an accomplice in the original armed robbery.
She is now facing charges that include Accomplice to Armed Robbery, Disobeying An Officer, and Operating with a Suspended License.
Robles, meanwhile is facing multiple counts of charges that include Armed Robbery, Kidnapping and Burglary.
In their press release, the department commended the work of the Wellington Drive family for their composure and bravery, as well as XtraMart store clerk for their assistance.
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