Hartford Man Accused Of Robbing Waterbury Sneaker Store: Police

WATERBURY/HARTFORD, CT — A convicted felon from Hartford is in the custody of Waterbury police after police charged him in connection with an Oct. 15 armed robbery of a sneaker store there.

According to the Waterbury Police Department Sunday, Jose Rivera-Gonzalez, 52, of Hartford was charged with first-degree robbery; second-degree assault; fifth-degree larceny; and criminal possession of a firearm/ammunition.

Waterbury police said he is being held on a $75,000 bond pending a court appearance.

According to the WPD, on Oct. 15 at about 6:26 p.m. officers responded to an armed robbery report at “Snipes," a sneaker store with three locations in Waterbury.

Police did not disclose which one.

Police said officers arrived to learn a male suspect, armed with a handgun, threatened store employees and physically assaulted one of them before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

According to the WPD, an investigation conducted by the WPD’s Criminal Investigation Bureau identified the suspect as Rivera-Gonzalez.

With assistance from the Hartford Police Department, Waterbury detectives executed a search warrant at Rivera-Gonzalez’s residence on Oct. 23, uncovering evidence linking him to the Oct. 15 robbery at “Snipes” and seized ammunition from the residence.

Police said Rivera-Gonzalez, a convicted felon, has an extensive criminal record, including previous charges for robbery (both with and without firearms, kidnapping, firearm violations, unlawful restraint, and larceny.

His last known case with the Waterbury Police Department occurred in 2013 when he robbed a TD Bank and was later placed on federal probation.

As a convicted felon, Rivera is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition, police said.