Updated 8:33 p.m.
Police vehicles surrounded a home on West Street in Rutland late Tuesday afternoon in connection with the theft of a state police cruiser — and a patrol rifle taken from the cruiser — earlier in the day, but no arrests were made following an hourslong operation.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Vermont State Police said in a press release that as part of the investigation there was a “heavy law enforcement presence” on West Street. The release also advised the public to avoid the area and instructed motorists to take alternate routes.
Photos on social media showed about a dozen cruisers blocking off West Street near a home, with an armored vehicle parked in a nearby driveway.
Earlier in the day, state police issued a press release reporting that one of its cruisers had been stolen between 2 a.m. and 4:40 a.m. from outside a residence in Rutland City. State police did not provide a location from where the vehicle was taken.
“The cruiser was subsequently located elsewhere in Rutland City, but the Sig Sauer patrol rifle that had been secured in the vehicle had been forcibly removed,” the press release stated.
The release included an image captured from surveillance video that showed a bearded man, dressed in a hooded Knicks sweatshirt and yellow sneakers, carrying a rifle, and identified the man in the photo as the theft suspect.
Adam Silverman, a state police spokesperson, said early Tuesday afternoon that the cruiser was assigned to Cpl. Christopher Loyzelle. He did not answer questions about whether the cruiser was left unlocked or whether keys were left in the vehicle.
Silverman sent out an updated press release around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, indicating no arrests had been made in the case.
“The Vermont State Police operation on West Street in Rutland is continuing, but the presence of law enforcement in the area has been reduced. The street has been reopened,” the release stated. “Investigation by VSP does not indicate any danger to the public in the vicinity.”
