Knife-wielding Taco Bell bandit stole automotive after issuing chilling five-word menace

A ‘calm and composed’ robber armed with a kitchen knife demanded a couple hand over car keys or he would ‘slash’ and ‘stab’ them – before then partaking in a ‘wrong-way’ police chase. Thomas Lacson fled from the Taco Bell car park off the A66, South Bank in his victim’s car and reached speeds of 70mph in a 30mph zone while being pursued by police officers.

The 29-year-old dad is now starting a lengthy stint behind bars following the terrifying ordeal after admitting robbery and dangerous driving. Judge Amanda Rippon said: “It is only through good fortune that no members of the public or police officers were killed or seriously injured.”

She referred to the horrific incident, also in South Bank, just months ago when a car driving the wrong way down the A66 resulted in the death of seven people, including officers PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. Lacson was handed a 10-year extended sentence.

In the early hours of March 30, the couple were leaving Taco Bell after collecting their food having left a work event. They were approached from behind by Lacson, dressed in a balaclava and armed with a six-inch kitchen knife.

John Crawford, prosecuting, said: “[Lacson] demanded [the victim] give him his money or he would stab him. He told the defendant he didn’t have any money on him.

“He demanded his car keys. Scared for his safety [the man] handed over his keys…. As the defendant got into the car he shouted back towards them: “Don’t call the police or I’ll slash your lass up.”

In a victim impact statement, the man said: “We were totally caught off guard when confronted with a masked man armed with a knife.” He said he feels anxious and is more conscious of his surroundings, adding at the time that he was considering speaking to his GP about the impact.

His partner described the incident as like a “fever dream”, saying: “It’s left me feeling anxious and I took a month off from work.”

She said she spoke with her GP who thinks she may have post-traumatic stress disorder and says she has suffered panic attacks at work.

Despite Lacson’s threat, the couple called the police and, on sighting the stolen red VW Passat, a pursuit began at 12.50am when the danger driver made off. Mr Crawford said: “Police repeatedly lost sight of the defendant in the vehicle but were able to relocate him.

“He broke speed limits, driving at 65mph in a 30mph zone, driving with his lights off, on the wrong side of the road and caused a taxi to mount the kerb to avoid a collision.”

Due to the level of risk, the pursuit was abandoned. However, around five minutes later, Lacson was sighted again by different officers on Longlands Road at around 1.15am.

During the second pursuit, he reached speeds of 70mph in a 30mph zone. Lacson drove across a grassed area near Tennyson Avenue and at one stage drove towards a police vehicle, narrowly avoiding a collision. Police abandoned the pursuit several times due to the danger he posed.

Officers deployed stingers which began deflating the car’s tyres but Lacson continued on his danger driving spree. Only when the tyres were deflated further did Lacson run from the car, but was quickly apprehended and arrested by officers.

While sentencing Lacson, of Middlesbrough Road, Judge Rippon said: “The danger driving could not have been more serious.”

It’s not the first time Lacson has left a trail of terror in his wake. He was jailed for eight years and nine months in 2022 after he was convicted of robbery, attempted robbery and dangerous driving.

In a starkly similar incident, Lacson, who has 14 previous convictions for 32 offences, approached Lookers Volkswagen dealership, in Cannon Park, where he threatened a worker with a knife, demanding a lift. When the victim was able to escape, claiming he needed to get keys from inside the garage, Lacson chose a different target.

He approached an employee arriving for work and threatened him with a dirty knife before forcing him into the passenger seat. Lacson then drove off with a victim inside the car, reaching speeds of 120mph in a 50mph section of the A66.

His victim feared a collision would kill them both, the court heard. On November 5, Judge Rippon said his most recent offending, which occurred weeks after he was released from prison on licence, demonstrates a “pattern of concerning behaviour”.

Rod Hunt, mitigating for Lacson, said: “He gets very depressed about his lack of contact with his children and everything goes out of the window and he behaves in the way your honour knows he behaves.”

The court heard he was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and told a psychiatrist he had feelings of depression and anxiety, although he has no formal diagnosis. He pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to robbery, danger driving, driving while disqualified, without insurance and failing to provide a specimen of breath.

Lacson, who the judge concluded was a dangerous offender, was handed a 10-year extended sentence. The custodial element is seven years and seven months, which he will serve two thirds of before he is considered for parole, and an additional two years and five months will be served on licence.