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NORWALK, Conn. – A Norwalk store clerk filling in for his sister over lunch was robbed Wednesday afternoon by a man who said he had a gun. Norwalk Police apprehended a suspect a short distance away. The clerk said the suspect was a regular customer who was "acting strangely."
Venkata Sunkara Saichairan said he came in to the Jet Variety store at 99 New Canaan Ave. for an hour to allow his sister to go to lunch. At about 1:35 p.m. the suspect came in and handed over a note. It read, "I have a gun in my pocket, give me some money." Saichairan said he could not see a gun, but it looked like there might be one in the suspect's pocket. Saichairan handed over four $10 bills, and the man left.
Saichairan said he went to tell his brother, who owns both Jet Variety and a package store in the plaza. Chairan said his brother knew who the suspect was. Saichairan said his sister had passed the man on her way out the door to get lunch and had recognized him. They were able to describe him to police officers.
A witness said the man was caught on the nearby New Canaan Avenue bridge. A police officer still on the scene at 2:25 p.m. confirmed that a suspect had been detained and was being processed at police headquarters.
Correction made, April 6, 1:30 a.m.
Comments (16)
Jane D or Tim T
Please cite the actual crime statistics which support your claim that the Norwalk Police are not catching criminals, and that police forces in other cities with similar populations are having more success catching criminals.
Your rantings seem to be based on knowledge of police work that you acquired from watching TV. It seems to me that blaming police for the crime in Norwalk is a lot like blaming the doctor when you get cancer.
Lastly, I would like to know what either of you are doing as citizens to help the Police fight crime.
Its called the police log at the front desk. I suggest you go read it. Of course that is assuming you can read.
You look it up...I personally do not live by the motto that other people are doing bad so I can do bad too. And I don't think of anyone with that attitude as a leader in any respect. Because other cities are inneffective at stopping crime doesn't mean Norwalk has to be too. The issue in Norwalk is largely preventable. If you're a police officer and you're afraid to confront a gang member you need a new job and if you're afraid because you don't think other officers will back you up then there's a serious problem in the department.
Why should I look it up? If you are making statements to the effect that the Police aren't catching any criminals, you must already know the statistics. All I'm asking is that you share the statistics with us. If the statistics back up your statement, and if other cities with similar populations to Norwalk have a much higher success rate in solving crimes, then I will be your staunchest ally in pressing the Mayor and the Police Department for reform. Seriously.
Are you going to answer my question of what you as a citizen of Norwalk have done to help the Norwalk PD fight crime?
RML
I agree. The police were not the ones who raised children to be criminals with such spectacularly bad judgement. In fact the Norwalk PD does extensive community outreach to low-income youth in the form of summer programs which go above and beyond their job descriptions as police officers.
In the case of the shooting near Home Depot at midnight, the victim refuses to cooperate with police. How exactly are the police supposed to solve that? Maybe they can call in Tim T, who is an expert because he watches Law and Order.
Iwitherspoon,
I agree with you, TimT thinks he knows all because he sees these TV shows where crimes are solved in a 30-60 minute time period...in real life, in a CITY like Norwalk is, there will be crimes that can't be solved in an hour or two.
Not surprised that you agree with Iwitherspoon. You know what they say about birds of a feather...Also I am not asking for the killings and shootings to be solved in an hours. We have killings and shootings that have not been solved in 4 years. All we hear from Moccia the moron and his puppet Rilling is that we know who is doing the shootings and killings and we are close to caching them, At this point the killers will die of old age first. Anyone that doesn't see the NPD for the complete and total failure that it is most be blind, a moron , or one of Moccia's boys writing in at his direction.
It's time to realize that the same old same old excuse will no longer work for the intelligent taxpayers, it will only work form the fools.
EXCUSE
EXCUSE
EXCUSE
EXCUSE
IS RILLING MIDDLE NAME
Please police are doing a good job. Yeah right. They get federal funding for gang prevention and they have a gang prevention unit but they are not doing anything to reduce crime. Maybe those funds would be better off in the hands of those parents so that they can afford to put their children in dance classes or karate classes and summer programs so that the children will not fall prey to joining a gang. Since the police aren't doing anything with the funds...
People blame it on the no snitch code but it is not the citizens jobs to find evidence and arrest criminals. That is the police's jobs. The police know who is shooting but they prefer to "wait until the gang members kill each other off" but after years and years of that mentality it should be apparent to them that that won't happen. Gang members actively recruit so there will always be new ones to continue the violence...
With that federal funding they need to send some detectives undercover. You cannot convict someone on hear say. So even if people in the neighborhood tell the cops who they heard did the shooting, that is not enough to send that person to jail. No one is standing around watching a shooting either, people are ducking and running so their guess is as good as someone who wasn't in the area at the time. The cops need to act like they have a training and conduct a sting to catch someone. Rilling always says it's "retalitory". So that means you should have a list of suspects then right. They need to do some investigating. It's what they're paid for.
And there might be 30-50 gang members tops in Norwalk in 3-5 different sets. So if the police know it's "retalitory" that means they know the background of the situation and means they also know the gang that is retaliating. And that automatically rules out all but maybe 5-10 of those gang members. Do some investigating for once. Maybe some one will be caught.
Very good point Jane the problem is the detective bureau could not investigate their way out of a paper bag. All the real detectives retired as they wanted no part what the NPD has become. All the detective bureau is now are the spill over from special services and they are not exactly high functioning to say the least.
And people always want to talk about South Norwalk residents not working with police but the fact is, we don't know. Neither of the last two shootings in Norwalk happened in South Norwalk: one in East Norwalk by Norwalk High in one closer to the West Norwalk side of CT Ave and it's the same result. Why, because no one's standing around during a shooting. I for one am not going to give a name to the police that someone who also didn't witness the shooting told me did it.
And when people do give the police the information they know, there is still no arrest. One woman gave the police a description of the person she saw fleeing but no arrest. When Amos Brown Jr. was shot people gave a description of the suspects but no arrest.
My last point, when the Police Chief the leader of the Police Department refuses to take responsibility for stopping crime, you will have a crime problem. He blames the public for not helping but he is the Police Chief and they are the police. It is their responsibility. If you don't want to take responsibility for stopping crime please step down from the police force. If the public won't cooperate with you, it's your fault for not forging the proper relationships. The last young black male citizen that worked with the Norwalk PD ended up being a homicide victim in 2010 by the way.
Tim T.,
Some of these shootings are gang related. For example, Home Depot...that was clearly retaliation. The "no snitch" code in the streets makes it difficult for police if no one is speaking out.
And another thing....police officer's jobs are one thing, PARENTS jobs are to instill good morals, respect, be there for their children, LOVE their children, teach them right from wrong, teach them about drugs etc. That is the job of PARENTS!!!!!
If parents were doing their job, police would have less of their job to do.
Funny how other towns, cities and Moccia urban centers manage to overcome the "no snitch code "and solve crime. That is the difference between a professional police department and the Norwalk police department. Do not buy into the B/S excuse that Moccia and Rilling are shoveling.. With that said I do agree with you about parenting however when parenting doesn't work it is time for the police to do what they are over paid to do. In the private sector when you don't do your job you get fired. We need change at the NPD from the top down. Also Moccia needs to hold his managers as in the chief of police accountable . If Moccia doesn't we need to look at a recall election..
Tim T.,
How can they overcome the no snitch code? These kids are afraid to speak up in fear of retaliation, correct? It seems that is what all of this is all about. I do think it all starts in the home. If there is a good foundation in the home, and both parents are actively involved in the kids lives and are good role models, the chances of these kids getting involved in gangs is very slim. I think the justice system as a whole is f*cked up. Cops are crooked too. The world is corrupted. Your doctor who is doing major surgery on you is high on drugs while in the O.R. what's next?
1 down 1000's more to go...Lets us hope this is a trend..
Let us not forget about the body found in the yard and the cover up of that...The shooting at American legion and the shooting at Home Depot