Incident Type: Robbery Investigation Update
Original Incident Date: 4/9/2024
Release Date: 4/12/2024
Incident Number: FP24-6939
Prepared By: Captain Edward Hartwick
Details:
On Tuesday, April 9, around noon, the Fitchburg Police Department responded to a report of an armed robbery. The reporting person told officers an unknown man had struck her and knocked her and her child, whom she was holding, down to the ground in a parking lot at 5401 Caddis Bend. She also indicated the suspect was armed with a knife. Due to the severity of the reported incident and the unknown path the suspect may have taken after the incident, numerous law enforcement resources flooded the area to assist.
These resources included:
- Fitchburg Police Department K9 Unit
- Fitchburg Police Department Drone Team
- Members of the Fitchburg Police Department Special Response Team
- K9 Teams from the Monona and Verona Police Departments
- Verona Police Department and State Capitol Police Drone Teams
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Conservation Wardens
These teams assisted Fitchburg officers in searching a wide area where the suspect could have possibly fled. As a result of the search effort, a (K-8) school in the area went into a secure status.
On Wednesday, a team of officers and investigators worked to identify and review hours of surveillance video footage from multiple businesses in the area. This intensive video review led to the identification of a vehicle of interest.
Wednesday, Fitchburg Police personnel, assisted by the Madison Police Department, located the vehicle at an apartment complex in Madison. Detectives took two individuals into custody after the vehicle was found.
Through continued investigation, detectives determined that the armed robbery did not occur as initially reported. A third individual was also taken into custody for their role in this incident.
While the incident remains under investigation, the Fitchburg Police Department is no longer searching for the suspect described in the initial report. There is no information to indicate that this incident posed a threat to the community.
Charges for the arrested individuals have been referred to the Dane County District Attorney's Office. The three are scheduled for an initial appearance in Dane County Circuit Court this afternoon.
The Fitchburg Police Department takes threats to public safety seriously and investigates these types of incidents as thoroughly as possible. Over 200 hours of total work have been put into this investigation to determine that this robbery did not occur as originally reported.
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ORIGINAL RELEASE
Incident Type: Robbery
Incident Date: 4/9/2024
Release Date: 4/9/2024
Incident Number: FP24-6939
Prepared By: Captain Edward Hartwick
Details:
Around 12:05 p.m., officers from the Fitchburg Police Department responded to a business parking lot at 5401 Caddis Bend for a robbery. Responding officers located the victim in the lot and learned a man had approached her from behind while she was removing her child from her car. The man punched the woman, knocking both her and her child to the ground and causing minor injuries to the woman. Once the woman was on the ground, the suspect took the woman’s purse and ran away.
The victim told responding officers the suspect was holding a knife during the incident but did not use it in the attack.
The suspect was described as a white male in his twenties, approximately 5’6” inches tall and approximately 160 pounds. He was wearing a black long-sleeve shirt, dark pants, and a black hat.
Officers coordinated an extensive search of the surrounding area but did not locate the suspect. K9 units from the Fitchburg, Monona, and Verona Police Departments assisted in the search, and drone teams from Fitchburg, Verona, and State Capitol Police worked to search from above. Conservation Wardens from the Department of Natural Resources assisted in scouring the area around the Nevin State Fish Hatchery.
The investigation remains open and active.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Fitchburg Police Department at (608)270-4300. Tipsters can remain anonymous by contacting Madison Area Crime Stoppers at (608)266-6014 or via P3Tips.com. Tips that lead to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.