South Windsor Police Arrest Three Men In Connection With Auto Shop Assaults

Three Meriden men are facing criminal charges Wednesday in connection with an alleged assault at a South Windsor auto shop that sent two local men to the hospital on Jan. 8.

The attacks on auto shop owner Robert Lareau, 28, of Enfield, and employee Ryan Kelleher, 21, of Windsor, resulted in “skull fractures, bleeding of the brain and other serious injuries” to both victims, police said in the arrest warrant application for Nathaniel Chambers, who was also arrested in January.

South Windsor police issued an arrest warrant on the following men Wednesday:

Luis Ruiz, 20, of 200 Crown St., Meriden, Francisco Ruiz, 24, of 200 Crown St., Meriden and Jose Ramos, 40, of 292 Cook Ave., Meriden.

Luis Ruiz was charged with robbery in the first degree, assault in the second degree and larceny in the sixth degree. He was held on $75,000 surety bond and was presented at Manchester Superior Court on Wednesday Feb. 6.

Francisco Ruiz was charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree and breach of peace. He was held on $10,000 surety bond and was presented at Manchester Superior Court on Wednesday Feb. 6.

Ramos was charged with assault in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, stealing a firearm, unlawful restraint in the first degree, threatening in the second degree, and larceny in the sixth degree. He was held on $400,000 surety bond and will be presented at Manchester Superior Court on Thursday Feb. 7.

Last month, Chambers, 27, of Meriden, was charged for his alleged role in the assault and robbery at Forced Induction Motorsports. He remains held on $400,000 bond.

Chambers knows the three men who were arrested Wednesday, though it is unclear whether Lareau and Kelleher also knew the three men, according to police spokesman Sgt. Scott Custer.

Kelleher was released from Hartford Hospital days after the alleged attacks, though Lareau remains hospitalized and is still in critical condition, according to Custer.

Custer said that the attacks were the result of a business dispute between Chambers and Lareau.

"[Chambers] had put a car there for service and the service never got done," Custer said. "[Chambers] was owed over $1,000. All three were known to Nate, but I don’t know what their relationship was to the victims."

Custer said that no additional suspects were being sought.

"This is it," Custer said. "We knew there were four people."

Custer credited the investigators, notably Det. Jeremy Weiss, who has "been doggedly pursuing leads on this case since Jan. 8. ... The whole detective team ran this whole search down."