Pair accused of staging armed robbery of downtown Boston Cava

Crime

“This concocted incident instilled fear in our community and used up police time and resources that could have been dedicated elsewhere.”

An employee and his son are accused of staging the armed robbery of a downtown Cava restaurant location, police said.

Scott Douglas, 36, and his son Nikolas Lao, 19, both of Charlestown, were arrested Friday and are each charged with larceny over $1,200 and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Douglas is facing additional charges of filing a false crime report and withholding evidence from a criminal proceeding.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden identified the pair as stepfather and son, but a report by Boston police say the two are father and son.

“We too often see employees who think they can fool police and their employers for their own illicit gain but end up fooling only themselves,” Hayden said. “This concocted incident instilled fear in our community and used up police time and resources that could have been dedicated elsewhere.”

Police initially responded to the Cava restaurant at 125 Summer Street on Dec. 29 around 10:30 p.m. The employee, later identified as Douglas, told police that a man brandished a large assault rifle, instructed him to walk toward the safe, and took around $1,800, a police report said.

Douglas, a new Cava employee, gave police a description of the suspect and rambled to officers how “Cava is a terrible place to work,” according to the report. Multiple responding officers said they felt “Douglas was being untruthful about the incident during their response,” the report said.

Police identify Lao as alleged Cava robber

During the investigation, police began reviewing surveillance footage that showed a man — not matching the description given by Douglas —  “walk up to the door, push his way past Douglas and enter the restaurant,” the police report said, as Douglas opened the door “simultaneously.” The alleged robber then fled to the Downtown Crossing MBTA station, according to police.

“It should be noted that this suspect was the only person to be in CAVA or around the immediate area at the time of the robbery,” the report said.

Using surveillance footage, police were able to identify the man as Lao, who lives with Douglas. When interviewed by police, Douglas continued to make statements “inconsistent” with video evidence and his previous description of the suspect, the report said.

Lao and Douglas both pleaded not guilty and were ordered to be held in jail after not posting bail. Both are due back in court Jan. 31.