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Former Bridgeport Resident Sentenced For Bank Robbery Spree

A Fairfield County man who threatened to kill bank employees during an armed robbery and later engaged in a standoff with police has been sentenced to nearly a decade behind bars following his seven-month crime spree.

Bryce Laister

Bryce Laister

Photo Credit: Shelton Police Department

Bryce Alexander Laister, 26, formerly of Bridgeport and Stratford, has been sentenced to 107 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to robbing five Connecticut banks between November 2016 and June 2017. He must also pay $25,279 in restitution to the banks.

Laister robbed Webster Bank on Merwin Avenue in Milford on Nov. 30, 2016; Key Bank on East Main Street in Plainville on April 7, 2017; Key Bank on Boston Post Road in Westbrook on May 5, 2017; People’s United Bank inside Stop & Shop on Bridgeport Avenue in Shelton on May 30, 2017 and the People’s United Bank inside Stop and Shop on Amity Road in New Haven on June 10 last year.

During the robbery in Shelton, John Durham, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, said that Laister brandished a pistol, and during the Plainville and Westbrook robberies, he threatened to kill or shoot bank employees if they did not acquiesce to his demands.

Laister was ultimately tracked down in Stratford on June 15 last year, and he went on to engage in a two-hour standoff with local and federal officials attempting to apprehend him. 

When he was arrested, Laister was in possession of a .380 caliber pistol and a magazine with two bullets. A search of Leister’s vehicle led to the seizure of clothing that was worn during the robbery on June 10, a makeup kit used to disguise his features, and a Stop and Shop circular.

Laister has been detained since his arrest. On Feb. 22, he pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery. Durham noted that Laister’s criminal history includes felony convictions for drugs, larceny and burglary offenses.

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