Attempted Armed Robbery, Manhunt Suspect Held On $100,000 Cash Bail

REVERE (CBS) -- An armed robbery suspect was captured after he led police on a manhunt that lasted several hours Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

According to officials, the man, identified as Gianni Mazza, 42, of Peabody, was found near the Chelsea River behind an oil company on Lee Burbank Highway in Revere around 12:15 a.m.

He was arraigned in Malden District on Wednesday morning and held on $100,000 cash bail.

Mazza's wife, who he is separated from, was in court to support him. She said Mazza suffered from an opioid addiction.

The pursuit began after Mazza allegedly walked into the Fine Mart on Elm Street in Everett, demanded money and showed the clerk a gun Tuesday night.

"The moment he walked in the door I saw the mask and I know that something is up," said store owner Kiet Ngo, who had been robbed five times before.

"He came in here, he showed me the gun, he demanded money."

Ngo then threw a chair at Mazza and chased him with a baseball bat.

Officers on patrol saw the altercation and said Mazza fled in a white van.

Police later found the van crashed and abandoned in a backyard pool on Butler Street in Revere.

Linda Veraldi said the van ended up in her father's backyard.

"I heard a big bang so I went to the window, and saw there was a big gaping hole in my father's fence. I saw somebody get out of the car and run through the backyard. And the cops were right here and I told them where he was and I guess he kicked the fence through and got away," she told WBZ-TV.

The search for the Mazza had gone through several towns, involved state, local, and K-9 police units, and "covered numerous streets and residential backyards and garages, the area around Revere High School, the Boston and Maine Railroad tracks, a solar power farm, and the shoreline along the river behind oil tank facilities," said state police.

Mazza was taken to Whidden Memorial Hospital for medical evaluation overnight and was then turned over to Everett Police.

Mazza was charged with armed robbery while masked, failure to stop for police, resisting arrest, and multiple motor vehicle violations.

Officials also said the gun Mazza had was not a functioning firearm, but a replica.

Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie said in a statement, "Unfortunately during the holiday season we begin to see more people engaged in desperate acts that result in incidents like this. I'm thankful nobody was hurt and that out officers were able to be in the right place at the right time."

Prosecutors said Mazza had a lengthy criminal history.