A man accused of trying to rob a mall store at knife point last week in Auburn, Massachusetts, led police on a foot chase that ended with the suspect inside of a pond.
Officers responded to Auburn Mall at about 6 p.m. Friday for a report of a man trying to stab an employee with a knife after trying to steal roughly $1,200 worth of fragrances from Macy's, Auburn police said.
When the employee tried to stop the suspect, identified as 46-year-old Rafael Rios Candelaria, he pulled out a knife and attempted to stab the worker, according to police.
Police say that due to an apparent uptick in gang and gun-related violent in town, the department has been deploying more officers on weekends for several weeks.
Those additional patrols, police say, were used in proximity of the mall, and a foot chase started with Candelaria that resulted in the 46-year-old disappearing somewhere between the Auburn Library and the Auburn Fire Department.
Shortly after, a Massachusetts State Police K-9 "flushed" Candelaria into the pond behind the library, police said.
Candelaria, of Worcester, was then surrounded by Auburn police and state troopers, according to authorities.
After swimming into the middle of the pond, Candelaria refused to surrender, police said. The state police K-9 was deployed and swam towards the suspect and brought him to the shore of Brotherton Way, where he was arrested, according to police.
Candelaria had an active warrant for larceny over $1,200 and disorderly conduct for a previous incident in town, police said.
The 46-year-old was charged with armed robbery, larceny over $1,200, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace. He was held on $15,040 and arraigned on the charges in Worcester District Court.
