Early Wednesday morning, Springfield Police took into custody 22-year-old Edwin Velazquez-Rodriguez to an alleged armed robbery attempt. The arrest came after a reported assault on the 100 block of State Street where the suspect purportedly utilized a box cutter in an endeavor to abscond with a bicycle, according to the Springfield Police Department.
At approximately 4:00 a.m., after being approached by the injured party, Springfield Police Officers initiated a search for the assailant. The Real-Time Analysis Center of the department, known as R-TAC, quickly reviewed surveillance footage, offering a suspect description to the officers on the scene. Having been found at the intersection of Main Street and Wilcox Street, Velazquez-Rodriguez was arrested with an existing outstanding default warrant against him from an earlier offense on August 8th, according to the police report.
Velazquez-Rodriguez faces several charges, namely "Armed Robbery," "Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon," and a "Default Warrant" related to an assortment of crimes including "Assault with a Dangerous Weapon," "Assault & Battery on a Police Officer," "Deface Property," and an "Attempt to Commit a Crime," detailed the Springfield Police Department's news release.
The apprehension of Velazquez-Rodriguez, undertaken by Springfield officers before dawn had broken. The use of video surveillance and the rapid dissemination of information between R-TAC and the officers on patrol has become a pivotal tactic in these pursuits. Currently, the suspect is detained while the legal proceedings commence, rounded off the announcement from the police.
