Off-Duty Officer, vehicle's owner, and good samaritan capture would-be car thief from Hyattsville
On June 11 at 3:53 p.m., Capt. F. M. Wyant of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and a family member entered the upper level parking lot of Sears at 11170 Mall Circle in Waldorf. They observed a vehicle drop off a man who then walked toward the vehicles parked on the outer row of the lot. Soon thereafter, they heard a loud noise and discovered the man had shattered the driver’s door window of a Nissan 350Z with a screwdriver and was attempting to steal the vehicle.
Capt. Wyant approached the vehicle, identified himself as an officer and attempted to place the man under arrest while his family member called 911. Capt. Wyant and the owner of the vehicle, a 38-year-old Waldorf man, began struggling with the suspect and removed him from the vehicle. A citizen driving on Mall Circle stopped to assist them until additional officers arrived.
The suspect, identified as Renaldo Rivers, 21, of Hyattsville, was charged with theft more than $500, destruction of property more than $500 and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Charles County Detention Center pending an appearance before the District Court Commissioner. Capt. Wyant sustained minor injuries during the struggle. Officer R. Gottschall investigated.