Following a Standoff, Felon with Handgun Is Busted in Stamford

A tense standoff between Stamford Police and a convicted felon who was armed with a handgun ended Thursday evening with the man’s arrest.

Stamford Police say they were on the lookout for a Hispanic man with a silver handgun who was supposed to be driving a black Honda Civic with red colored rims on Cove Road, after receiving a tip.

Police said that at 5:15 p.m. Jan. 22, members of the Narcotics and Organized Crime Squad and uniformed officers set up surveillance positions in the area of Cove Road. A short time later, a vehicle matching the description given to police was seen traveling toward 864 Cove Rd., police said in a statement.

After the driver backed into a parking space in the parking lot of Cove Pizza, at 864 Cove Rd., police moved in.

Police said, “The car was blocked in and at gunpoint the suspect was ordered to show his hands. The suspect did not obey the commands and would not show his hands. The suspect was seen with the gun in hand, it appears he unloaded the gun and threw a number of bullets out of the car. The suspect would at times open the door only to quickly close it again. This standoff continued for approximately two minutes. After some tense moments the suspect was finally removed from the car and placed under arrest.”

Police said they recovered was a semi-automatic Jennings 25-caliber handgun and five rounds of ammunition.

Michael T. Walsh, 37, of Evergreen Terrace, Bridgeport, was charged with criminal possession of a firearm, possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle and interfering with police. His bond was set at $100,000 and he assigned a court date of Feb. 5.

Police said, “Walsh has used several different names in the past and has an extremely long criminal record. This record includes convictions for weapons violations, assaults, sexual assaults, child porn, threatening, narcotics violations, probation violations, among others. Walsh has served several prison sentences.”

According to the Connecticut Judicial Branch website, Walsh has served more than two years in prison for two child pornography possession convictions, 15 months for failure to register and 55 days for harassment convictions.

In a statement Capt. Richard Conklin said, “The officers involved in this investigation should be recognized for obtaining the intel that lead to this arrest of a dangerous convicted felon and also for using extreme restraint in what could have been a deadly force situation.”

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Photo courtesy: Stamford Police.