Kendall `Au Bon Pain' Robbed

A Boston resident was shot in the chest during an armed robbery at the Au Bon Pain in Kendall Square Wednesday night, police said.

The suspect, armed with a revolver, escaped with $800, according to Cambridge Police Lieutenant Don Carney. The store's manager, Abdel Moonaim Elouazzani, 20, is currently in stable condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Two people working at Au Bon Pain witnessed the 10:20 p.m. shooting. No customers were present in the store at that time, Carney said.

Carney said the suspect is a 5'8" Black male, 17 to 20 years old and weighs approximately 160 lbs. He was wearing a dark blue jogging suit, high-top sneakers and possibly a hat at the time of the robbery.

Kendall Square, adjacent to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus, is frequented by many students who shop in the MIT Coop and other nearby stores.

Jeanne Hood, director of operations for Au Bon Pain, said MIT students represent a large portion of the Kendall store's customers. Hood said she did not think the shooting would hurt the store's business.

"We don't believe that it has [affected business]," Hood said.

Still, Hood said the corporation is taking action in response to the incident. "We're looking at making some changes," she said. "We're closing the store earlier beginning tonight, at 8 as opposed to 10."

MIT sophomore Scott R. Velazquez said the incident has affected his perception of the area.

"I think I'll be more cautious around here. It kind of makes you wonder," he said. "It's so close to campus, it's a big city."

Velazquez said he heard about the incident on television last night at about 2 a.m.

But most MIT students interviewed yesterday said that they were not aware of the incident. The MIT biweekly newspaper, The Tech, does not come out on Thursday. In addition, students said they were studying and did not see the Wednesday night television reports of the crime.

"I've always had problems to go to Kendall square by myself. Kendall square has always been scary," said Lilac Muller, an MIT sophomore.

Although Muller doesn't think MIT students will avoid Kendall Square in the future, she said the incident may hurt the school's image.

"Stuff like that is bad for MIT," Muller said. "If my mother knew about this, she'd start freaking out."