WEBSTER — On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 12:08 a.m., Webster Police Officers Shane Murray, Bryan Blomgren, and Joe Stephens, along with Dudley Police Officer Byron Lara, responded to a report of a fight in progress in the common hallway of the apartment building located at 54 Lake Street.
According to a statement from the Webster Police Department, when officers arrived on scene, they learned that the suspect had just fled from the apartment building in a vehicle.
Officer Murray spoke with two victims who said they were assaulted by an unknown man believed to be the boyfriend of a third-floor tenant. The suspect was later identified as Robert Banks, 26, of Blackstone River Road in Worcester.
The juvenile victim told Officer Murray that he and his father went to the third floor to ask the tenant and Mr. Banks to lower the music.
“Mr. Banks opened the door and randomly punched the juvenile in the side of the head before the juvenile’s father tried to intervene,” the Webster Police Department said in its statement. “Mr. Banks then punched the juvenile’s father in the head multiple times prompting the victims to try and retreat into their apartment. As they did this, Mr. Banks followed the victims and attempted to force his way into their apartment. They were able to close the door prior to calling 911.”
According to the Webster Police Department, one of the victims was transported to UMass Memorial Health – Harrington at Webster for treatment of injuries.
“With the assistance of Officer [Anthony] Santos of the Southbridge Police Department, along with Worcester Superior Court probation officers, Officer Murray was positively able to identify the suspect as Mr. Banks, who was currently on superior court probation,” the Webster Police Department said.
Approximately a week later, on June 24 around 2:45 a.m., Officer Murray, along with Officer Blomgren, located Banks as he was driving a vehicle and took him into custody.
“At the time he was arrested, Mr. Banks refused to identify himself,” the Webster Police Department said in its statement.
Bank was arrested and charged with the following:
- Assault with Intent to Commit a Felony (two counts)
- Burglary with an Assault (two counts)
- Assault and Battery (two counts)
According to Webster police, at the time of his arrest, Banks was on probation out of Worcester Superior Court. He had been indicted in Worcester in 2020 on charges including kidnapping with a firearm, discharging a firearm, assault and battery with a firearm, armed assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, and various other firearms offenses. He served 18 months in the House of Corrections followed by three years of probation.
Banks is currently being held on the new charges out of Webster for violating the terms of his probation.
