Naples – Two gas stations were targeted, a gun was pointed at the employees, the car sped off along the Asse Mediano in a Renault Clio, and finally, the handcuffs.
Thus ended, overnight, the last "ride" of Alessandro Palmieri and Giuseppe De Rosa, 19 and 18, both Neapolitans living in Arzano and with criminal records. The two were arrested on charges of aggravated robbery and resisting a public officer, and also charged with possession of weapons or offensive objects. The 19-year-old was also arrested for evading arrest and was supposed to be under house arrest.
The stakeout service
For several days, the area between Asse Mediano, Qualiano, and Giugliano had been under close surveillance. A series of attacks on gas stations had raised the alarm among investigators from the Secondigliano police station, led by Deputy Chief of Police Tommaso Pintauro, and the members of the Police Headquarters' Flying Squad, led by Giovanni Leuci.
A targeted service had been set up, with plainclothes crews and support patrols, to intercept the robbers in action.
On the night of the raid, a team from the Secondigliano investigative and operational section and the Mobile Hawks were patrolling the Asse Mediano in the direction of Arzano when they noticed a Renault Clio with two young people on board moving suspiciously, slowing down and diverting towards the fuel distribution stations along the external ring road.
The first blow to the distributor
According to investigators' reconstruction, confirmed by a video captured by the officers themselves, the Clio entered the entrance to a gas station on Via Circumvallazione Esterna, in the Qualiano/Giugliano area. The two men exited the car, their faces uncovered, but with a determined attitude: one remained near the car to act as a lookout, while the other headed toward the employee's garage.
At that point, investigative sources report, the robber pulled out a gun, pointing it at the clerk, and demanding that he hand over all his takings. Despite being terrified, the man didn't react and opened the drawer, handing over the cash. The action lasted only a few seconds: after grabbing the money, the young man got back into his car, and the Clio sped off.
The officers, who were observing from a distance without being noticed to avoid putting those present at risk, decided not to intervene immediately to prevent the situation from escalating, but began following the car.
The second assault in a few minutes
After traveling a short distance, the Renault Clio, with the same two people aboard, entered the entrance to a second gas station, still on the same road. The attack was identical: they quickly entered the service station, threatened the attendant with a weapon, demanded payment, and fled.
In this case, too, the gun was pointed at the employee's face, forcing him to empty the register. No shots were fired, no struggle ensued: the two robbers' strength lay in the threat of the weapon, which would only later be revealed to be a replica pistol, but without the red cap and therefore indistinguishable from a real one.
After the second heist, the two men reboarded and headed toward Giugliano in Campania, convinced they'd gotten away with it. They didn't know they were now in the patrols' sights.
The chase and the blockade in Giugliano
The Secondigliano and Mobile Unit crews never lost sight of the Clio, maintaining a safe distance but maintaining constant radio contact to coordinate the operation. When the car slowed near a hospitality facility in the Giugliano area and stopped, the raid began.
The officers surrounded the vehicle and ordered the two to get out. Palmieri and De Rosa reportedly attempted to fight back, trying to break free and escape, but were quickly subdued and pinned to the ground by the officers. Only after they were handcuffed did investigators proceed to search their bodies and the vehicle.
The loot, the replica gun and the scissors
During the checks, the officers found €260 in cash on the two men and inside the Renault Clio, believed to be part of the loot from the two recent robberies. But the most significant discovery was made inside the passenger compartment: hidden under one of the seats was a replica pistol, without the red cap, completely resembling a real gun.
Alongside the gun, officers also recovered a pair of scissors, considered a potentially offensive instrument. The material was seized and added to the investigation file. The video filmed by investigators during the operation, along with the testimonies of the distributors' employees, strengthens the accusation.
The accusations and the transfer to Poggioreale
After completing the formal procedures at the police station, Alessandro Palmieri and Giuseppe De Rosa were arrested for aggravated robbery and resisting arrest. They were also charged with possession of weapons or objects capable of causing harm, in connection with the replica pistol and scissors found in their car.
During the investigation, it emerged that Palmieri, the 19-year-old, was already under house arrest for other crimes and should not have left his home. For this reason, he was also charged with escape. Both men, once arrested, were transferred to Poggioreale prison, pending a validation hearing before a judge.
Investigations are continuing to determine whether the "couple" is also responsible for other robberies carried out in recent weeks in the same area of the northern hinterland. Investigators are comparing the operating procedures, time frames, and descriptions provided by other robbed businesses, searching for clues and coincidences that might link the various incidents.
Naples – Carabinieri officers struck at the heart of the suburban drug dealing ring: officers from the Bagnoli Company's Operations Unit made a swift arrest in the Soccavo neighborhood, a historically sensitive area, along with the neighboring Rione Traiano, for retail drug trafficking. Late yesterday evening, Carabinieri officers on anti-drug duty…
In recent days, the Carabinieri of the Naples Borgo Loreto Station executed a precautionary detention order issued by the preliminary investigations judge of the Court of Naples at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The order concerns a 51-year-old Neapolitan man, already known to law enforcement, who is seriously suspected of stalking...
Naples – A routine traffic stop turned into an arrest for drug dealing in the Ponti Rossi area. Yesterday afternoon, State Police officers stopped 50-year-old Neapolitan Pasquale Granato, already known to law enforcement for a prior drug-related conviction. The street check The operation was…
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The article discusses a very serious incident involving two young people. But I wonder whether safety at gas stations is adequately guaranteed. Greater protection is needed for workers in risky situations.