BURLINGTON — Vermont State Police say they arrested a Rutland City man in Burlington on Wednesday afternoon for reportedly stealing one of their fully marked department police cruisers and a patrol rifle early Tuesday in Rutland.
Timothy M. Gabriel, 29, who also has ties to Burlington was arrested after a brief struggle with state troopers near the Walgreens Pharmacy on Cherry Street, one block from the Church Street Marketplace, state police said. They reported Gabriel he had ignored commands directing him to surrender, Detective Sgt. Henry Alberico said.
Gabriel is expected to appear in U.S. District Court in Burlington on Thursday on a federal charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, police said. He also may face charges from Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan.
Gabriel’s criminal record was unavailable Wednesday night, but the Rutland Herald reported in May 2019 about Gabriel’s arrest for a gunpoint robbery at China Kitchen on West Street. He was initially jailed without bail for three felony charges: assault and robbery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the news story said. The outcome of the cases could not be determined.
Rutland City Police said China Kitchen owner reported the gun was held to his neck and was later turned toward a customer when she walked in. The robbery was caught on video and City Detective Emilio Rosario recognized Gabriel because he was wanted for an unrelated larceny charge at the same business, records show.
Police quickly caught Gabriel, who confessed to the armed robbery and said the weapon was actually a BB gun, court records show. Gabriel said he needed the money to feed his crack cocaine addiction, Rosario wrote.
In the new case, Vermont State Police said the plan was to lodge him in prison overnight, most likely the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans Town.
The department-issued rifle was missing when he was arrested, but state troopers say they still hope to recover it.
Vermont State Police have a video surveillance of Gabriel carrying the SIG Sauer rifle and wearing a New York Knicks sweatshirt shortly after the stolen cruiser was abandoned in Rutland City.
State police said Tuesday the cruiser and rifle were assigned to Patrol Cpl. Christopher Loyzelle, who is attached to the Rutland barracks. The theft happened sometime between 2 and 4:40 a.m. Loyzelle, who has more than 15 years with the department, had left the green and gold cruiser parked near his residence in Rutland City.
The investigation into the theft continues.
Tips from the public and investigative work led to the identity of Gabriel, Alberico said.
There was a massive effort by state, local and federal law enforcement to locate the cruiser and rifle. Officers made a couple of attempts to arrest the suspect, who they had not publicly identified. One of those efforts included a massive police presence near 308 West St. late Tuesday afternoon that closed down the road for several hours.
The suspect remained one step ahead of police until Tuesday. State police said they received a tip that Gabriel had gone to Burlington to avoid the local dragnet and to try to find a way to leave Vermont. A subsequent tip said he was in downtown Burlington, possibly near Walgreens on Cherry Street, waiting to get money wired to him, police said.
Detectives, including members of the drug unit, along with members of the State Police SWAT team began to comb the area and soon spotted him, a spokesman said. He tried to resist and get away, but was taken into custody after a struggle, police said.
Alberico urged anybody with information on the cruiser and rifle theft or about Gabriel to call state police in Rutland at 802-773-9101.
