A string of brazen armed robberies shook the quiet towns of Cataño and Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, in the fall of 2020. On November 4, 2020, Juan Tyler López Gerraughty, along with other individuals, drove a truck into an Econo store in Cataño, threatening a security guard at gunpoint. The group then loaded an ATM onto the truck and made their escape.
Just nine days later, on November 13, López Gerraughty and his cohorts crashed a truck through the garage window of a Toral gas station in Cataño. After threatening an employee at gunpoint, they tied a chain around the ATM and dragged it out of the store with the truck.
The third and final robbery occurred on November 28, when López Gerraughty and his crew crashed a truck through the entrance of a Toral gas station in Vega Baja. Following a similar modus operandi, they threatened an employee with a gun and loaded the ATM onto the truck before fleeing.
According to the Government’s allegations, López Gerraughty and his accomplices stole over $67,000 in these three brazen robberies.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan Carlos Reyes is leading the prosecution of the case, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation is in charge of the investigation. If convicted, López Gerraughty faces a mandatory minimum of 21 years in prison.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The people of Cataño and Vega Baja are breathing a sigh of relief now that the alleged mastermind behind these robberies has been brought to justice. Only time will tell if López Gerraughty will be held accountable for his actions.
Key Facts
- State: Puerto Rico
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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