Man arrested in JCT Kitchen shooting suspected in high-end robberies

Thaddeus Todd, 25, is accused of chasing a man into JCT Kitchen & Bar, shooting him in the stomach and leg, and critically injuring him.

A man has been arrested in connection with an August shooting at a crowded West Midtown restaurant, Atlanta police said.

And investigators have linked him to multiple high-end armed robberies in which he took Rolex watches, a Versace necklace, a Louis Vuitton bookbag and a white Mercedes-Benz, police said.

Thaddeus Todd, 25, was trying to take Bruno Bafico's watch on Aug. 28, when he chased him into JCT Kitchen & Bar and shot him in the stomach and leg, police said in an Incident report.

A man walked outside JCT Kitchen & Bar the day after a suspected robber allegedly shot a man in the parking lot, chased him inside the popular West Midtown restaurant and continued firing. JOHN SPINK / JSPINK@AJC.COM

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More than 30 people were inside the restaurant Aug. 28 when Bafico was hit twice by at least one of several rounds fired outside and two rounds fired inside the popular restaurant, Atlanta police said. The shooting left him in critical condition.

Todd was identified as the shooter by witnesses and surveillance cameras at the restaurant, which is in the 1100 block of Howell Mill Road, Atlanta police Officer Donald Hannah said.

“Police are thankful to the many witnesses who turned in cell phone footage that aided in identifying the suspect,” Hannah said.

Shell casings recovered at the scene were also tested and later identified as being from a firearm in Todd’s possession, police said.

He was charged with aggravated assault, armed robbery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a first offender probationer.

Investigators have linked Todd to a total of five armed robberies, including three on Peachtree Road, one on Peachtree Street and one on West Paces Ferry Road. The incidents occurred between June 6 and Sept. 3, Hannah said.

Todd was denied bond after waiving his first appearance in court Tuesday morning, according to the sheriff’s office. His next hearing is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday.

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