Cheyenne Police Arrest Man Following Attempted Armed Robbery

Published on February 27, 2026

A man was arrested on Thursday morning after threatening two American Medical Response (AMR) medics with a knife. Flock Safety technology helped law enforcement quickly locate the suspect, who was driving a vehicle stolen out of Laramie, Wyoming.

On February 26 at approximately 7:00 a.m., officers were dispatched to a report of a man brandishing a knife near the 100 block of North Greeley Highway.

According to statements, a man with blood on his face approached a parked ambulance with two AMR medics sitting inside. One of the medics rolled down the window, assuming the man needed medical assistance.

The man then leaned into the window and pointed a large, sheathed hunting knife toward the medic’s face, demanding cigarettes. When they refused, the man became increasingly aggressive, waving the knife. The medics rolled up the window, and the suspect returned to a gray Dodge pickup and drove away.

The medics contacted police and provided a detailed description of the suspect, the vehicle, and the license plate number. Officers with the CPD’s Crime Prevention Team entered the plate into the Flock camera system and began coordinating efforts to locate the truck. Flock sends real-time alerts to officers when an entered plate is detected by one of its cameras.

A short time later, the system detected the truck traveling through an intersection in southeast Cheyenne. Officers began driving in the area, and a deputy with the Laramie County Sheriff's Office spotted the suspect vehicle near Avenue C and Drew Court.

At approximately 10:45 a.m., officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop and took the suspect, Richard Sawinski, 45, from Cheyenne, into custody without incident.

Further investigation revealed the truck had been reported stolen out of Laramie earlier that morning. Sawinski admitted to stealing the vehicle and driving it to Cheyenne. Two sheathed hunting knives were recovered from inside.

Sawinski was booked into the Laramie County Jail on two felony charges, aggravated robbery and motor vehicle theft. He was also found to have an active warrant out of Larimer County, Colorado.