A Fast-Thinking New London Detective May Have Prevented A Robbery

Did the keen senses of a New London Police detective prevent a robbery yesterday? It certainly looks that way.

Detective Keith Crandall was in an unmarked vehicle traveling in the area of Bank Street and Ocean Avenue when a man wearing dark clothing, a hat and a scarf, walking along Bank Street by Sam's Convenience Store caught his eye.

The man appeared to be repositioning the scarf to cover the lower part of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. As the detective watched, the man walked into store's parking lot, passing the store entrance and looking around in both directions and inside the store as he did so. 

Believing the man might be about to commit a robbery, Detective Crandall pulled into the parking lot, got out of his car and identified himself as a police officer. The man's initial response was to walk away quickly, at which point Crandall ordered him to stop. The man then appeared to reach for something at his waist and the detective told him not to move and asked if he had any weapons. The man said he had a gun.

The detective took the weapon, which turned out to be a pellet gun, from the suspect who police have identified as Ryan C. O'Donnell, aged 28. Crandall arrested O'Donnell without incident and charged him with carrying a dangerous weapon.