Pair held without bail in three Lynn armed robberies

LYNN – Two homeless men were held without bail in connection with three alleged armed robberies throughout the city in the last month, including an incident where the men allegedly lured victims to an apartment building and attacked one of them.Stephen Hoey, 32, pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery; armed and masked robbery; and attempting to commit a crime; at his arraignment in Lynn District Court Thursday.James Lundrigan, 48, pleaded not guilty to charges of armed robbery, two counts; larceny of a motor vehicle; and failure to register as a sex offender; at his arraignment in Lynn District Court Wednesday.Police have connected both men to a Jan. 31 armed robbery and assault reported at 47 Collins St.Police reported responding to the Collins Street building at 6:48 p.m. Jan. 31, where the alleged victims told officers they met with the two suspects to buy a gold chain, according to a report by Lynn Police Officer Ronald Diaz.The suspects allegedly led the alleged victims to the back stairway and held them up at gunpoint, stealing the buyers’ cash.The male alleged victim said he pushed the taller suspect, and the second hit the alleged victim over the head with a handgun, police said. The alleged victim said he briefly escaped then was attacked again, and officers noted he had fresh red marks and scratches on his head. The female alleged victim said the heavier and shorter man stole her purse. A witness reported seeing the fight, and the incident was captured on video, according to police reports.Police viewed and distributed pictures of the suspects, and identified Lundrigan as the taller suspect. Tipsters (and Hoey’s mother) identified Hoey as the second suspect.Both Hoey and Lundrigan denied having weapons and said they were the victims of a robbery, police said.”I told Lundrigan that the video showed him punch and kick the victim and it also showed him going through the woman’s pocketbook outside and him throwing it over the fence,” Lt. Thomas Reddy wrote in a report. “Lundrigan just put his head down.”Hoey later admitted to having brought BB guns to intimidate the alleged victims and taking the pocketbook.Hoey and Lundrigan were subsequently connected to an armed robbery and an attempted armed robbery at Highland Market on Adams Street. Again, Hoey was captured on video, both during the first robbery on Feb. 3 and at a subsequent store where he redeemed the lottery tickets he allegedly stole at knifepoint, police reported.During an attempted armed robbery on Feb. 6, Hoey admitted he used a BB gun to hold up the store but the clerk attacked him with a baseball bat, police said. Lundrigan was allegedly the getaway driver in both incidents. Police said they arrested Lundrigan and found out the truck he had been driving was stolen and Lundrigan was late in registering as a Level 2 sex offender.Judges ordered both Hoey and Lundrigan held without bail pending dangerousness hearings.The defendants are each scheduled to return to court Thursday.