Crime & Safety
Waterford Police: Officers Track Down Armed Thief [Updated]
Police say the man led officers on a foot pursuit and brandished a firearm after he stole from Walmart.
A 45-year-old man armed with a firearm led Waterford Police on a foot pursuit Thursday night as he fled Walmart with stolen items, according to police.
A loss prevention agent called 911 at 6:01 p.m. to report the larceny in progress. The agent told police that the suspect brandished a firearm as he tried to approach him, and then fled on foot.
Waterford Police picked up the pursuit and caught up to the suspect, identified as Willard Ar-Rahmann Jr.
Ar-Rahmann was taken into custody after a brief struggle with officers, and with the assistance of an off-duty State Police Trooper who happened to be in the area.
Waterford police K9 officer Dan Lane and his partner Ike were summoned to the scene to conduct a search for stolen property. The area was searched by the K9 team and several pieces of stolen property were recovered, police said.
Ar-Rahmann was charged with:
- second-degree robbery
- interfering with an officer
- sixth-degree larceny
- possession of a shoplifting device
He was being held at the Waterford Police Department on a $25,000 bond, and was scheduled to be arraigned at New London Superior Court on March 21.
Our original report follows:
Waterford police are looking for an armed man that allegedly robbed the Walmart on Parkway North Thursday evening.
According to reports, police are looking for a black male that fled the store on foot toward I-95 shortly before 6 p.m. with several stolen items.
Waterford police reported that the man was armed with a handgun.
Police shut down roads in the area and state police and K-9 units arrived on the scene to begin the search.
Check back with Waterford Patch for updates as more information becomes available.
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