By Tiffany Williams –
HARTFORD, CT — A call about a man threatening people with a firearm outside a liquor store set off a fast-moving sequence that ended with a foot chase, a discarded weapon, and the arrest of a convicted felon, according to Hartford police.
It started on April 29, 2026, when officers were dispatched to French’s Liquor Store at 580 Albany Avenue. The report was direct — an individual threatening others with a firearm. But by the time officers arrived, the suspect was already gone, fleeing the area on a scooter.
That’s where the situation shifted from response to pursuit.
Police say members of the Street Crimes Unit later observed the suspect after he lost control of the scooter on Brook Street. Officers moved in, and what followed was a foot pursuit through the area. During that chase, officers say they saw the suspect discard a firearm — a critical moment that would define the arrest.
After a brief struggle, the suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
On the ground, officers recovered what they describe as a loaded semi-automatic handgun — a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm with 10 live rounds. Investigators say the weapon had been reported stolen out of Hartford.
The suspect, identified as Andre Rodriguez, born January 15, 1988, of Hartford, is described by police as a previously convicted felon.
He now faces a series of charges that escalate the seriousness of the incident — breach of peace, threatening in the first degree, interfering with police, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, and theft of a firearm.
What began as a report of a threat outside a neighborhood business quickly unfolded into a sequence that, according to police, removed a stolen firearm from the street and placed a repeat offender into custody.
But investigators are making it clear — the broader issue is not resolved with one arrest.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about illegal firearms to contact the Hartford Police Tip Line at 860-722-TIPS (8477), emphasizing that all tips are anonymous.