HADLEY — A Chicopee man who allegedly committed an armed robbery Tuesday night at the Cinemark Theaters at Hampshire Mall is in custody at the Franklin County Jail, according to Hadley Police Lt. Mitchell Kuc.
Joshua Cruz, 28, was arrested Thursday morning following an investigation into the incident by Hadley Police and other local law enforcement agencies.
Hadley Police were notified about the incident at about 7:38 p.m. in which a man displayed what appeared to be a pistol and demanded a Cinemark employee give him money from the cash register, Kuc said. The suspect left with between $400 and $600 in cash, Kuc said.
The money has not yet been recovered, and no one was injured during the crime, Kuc said.
With video surveillance from the movie theater, as well as from surrounding businesses at the mall, clear images of the suspect, who has identifying tattoos, were obtained. After sharing with other local police departments, Hadley Police learned by 11:05 p.m. Tuesday from Holyoke Police that Cruz might be the suspect.
On Wednesday, Hadley Police continued to gather surveillance video from surrounding businesses, as well as evidence from the Holyoke Police Department tying Cruz to the crime, Kuc said.
Cruz will be transferred from the Greenfield jail to Holyoke District Court for warrants issued by that court, Kuc said, and will be arraigned on the Hadley charges in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown at a later date.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
