Brooklyn Man Sentenced to 25 Years For North Bellmore Home Invasion

Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced on Wednesday that the final defendant in a violent 2011 home invasion in North Bellmore received a maximum sentence of 25 years.

Gustavo Arroyo, 35, was sentenced to 25 years in upstate prison by Judge Alan L. Honorof.  

In September, Arroyo was convicted by a jury of four counts first-degree robbery, four counts of second-degree robbery, four counts of first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, three counts of unlawful imprisonment, one count of attempted unlawful imprisonment, two counts of second-degree assault, resisting arrest and escape.

Rice said that at approximately 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2011, Arroyo and two other men, Eduardo Cruz and Carlos Segura, exited a vehicle being driven by Dario Guerrero and approached a North Bellmore home. 

Cruz entered the home through the unlocked front door and began beating a female resident before signaling to Arroyo and Segura to come inside. 

During the course of the robbery a male resident of the home, who had been out during the robbery, returned home. When he attempted to open the front door, Arroyo grabbed him and tried to pull him inside. 

The male resident broke free of Arroyo and ran from the house into the street screaming for help. The three defendants fled the house and got into the waiting car being driven by Guerrero and were spotted by responding police driving eastbound on Merrick Road into Merrick.

Upon stopping the vehicle, an NCPD officer ordered all four men out of the car and then attempted to arrest Cruz, who resisted and refused to be handcuffed. Segura and Guerrero jumped back into their car and drove straight at the officer. 

The officer fired at the vehicle, striking Guerrero in the left leg. Arroyo fled on foot but was arrested a short time later, as was Cruz. Guerrero was arrested after a traffic stop on Sunrise Highway in Wantagh. Segura was arrested in a cab heading back to Brooklyn after a traffic stop on the Southern State Parkway.

Cruz was sentenced to 25 years in prison, Segura was sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Guerrero was sentenced to 1 1/4 to four years in prison.