Chambers Makes First Court Appearance, More Details Emerge in South Windsor Autoshop Assaults

The Meriden man accused of attacking and severely injuring two people at a South Windsor auto shop last week was arraigned on assault and robbery charges Wednesday in Superior Court in Manchester.

Nathaniel “Nate” Chambers, 27, of 144 2H Pratt St., Meriden, was charged with conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree and conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree for allegedly attacking Forced Induction Motorsports owner Robert Lareau, 28, of Enfield, and employee Ryan Kelleher, 21, of Windsor.

In court on Wednesday, Chambers had his bond increased from $250,000 to $400,000 by a judge. In addition, Chambers was appointed a public defender, whose motion to bar media from the proceedings was denied.

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Chambers was placed on suicide watch and his next hearing date is Feb. 15.

The application for an arrest warrant, which was obtained by Patch, reveals more about what took place on the evening of Jan. 8 at the auto shop located at 51 Edwin Road in South Windsor.

Agent Jeremy Weiss of the South Windsor Police Department wrote that Kelleher said that he and Lareau were attacked by four males, including Chambers and a man believed to be Chambers’ cousin.

The two other males were not identified, though all of the alleged suspects were “in their 20s and Puerto Rican.”

Both Kelleher and Lareau were struck with an exhaust pipe, Weiss wrote, and Kelleher was struck by the man believed to be Chambers’ cousin with a rifle - a Savage Axis 3006 - as well. Kelleher said that the rifle was his and that he took it to the shop to show Lareau. Kelleher told police that he believed that the suspects took the rifle when they fled the scene.

According to an incident supplement, during the attack, the man believed to be Chambers’ cousin told Kelleher “that he was going to kill Kelleher.”

Kelleher, according to the report, blacked out and, when he came to, noticed that Lareau was having trouble breathing. Kelleher then called 911, the report states.

Kelleher told Agent Michael Prescher in an interview that he did not know why the four men attacked Lareau and Kelleher and that “no argument had taken place prior to the beginning of the assault.”

“[Kelleher] does know that Chambers wanted a receipt for the work done on his [Mazda] RX-7, and Lareau didn’t make one,” police documents state.

The attacks resulted in “skull fractures, bleeding of the brain and other serious injuries” to both victims, police said in the arrest warrant application.

Chambers remained at large until he was arrested Tuesday after checking himself into the Veterans Hospital in West Haven, where he sought treatment for the flu, according to police.

Spokesman Sgt. Scott Custer said on Wednesday that South Windsor police are still looking for the three other men who were either involved in or witnessed the attack.

“We are not sure at this time if they are suspects, witnesses or somewhere in between,” Custer said.

As for Lareau, he remains in a medically induced coma, though, according to a police report, he went into cardiac arrest on Jan. 14, but doctors were able to revive him. He still has a 70 percent chance of survival, though, according to the report, doctors told Lareau’s mother that he will have a 25 percent chance of a normal life.

Anyone with information about the incident is requested to contact the South Windsor Police at 860-644-2551.