Buffalo man pleads guilty to threatening security guards with knife during Walden Galleria robbery

Acting Erie County Prosecutor Michael J. Keane announces that Hector L. Colon, 47, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty this morning before Judge Kenneth in Erie County Court to one count of charge of third-degree grand larceny (class “D” felony).

On Saturday, November 25, 2023, at approximately 4:18 p.m., the defendant forcibly stole merchandise, two perfume boxes with a total value of $330, from a department store in the Walden Galleria. The defendant left the store without purchasing the items. When confronted by the store’s property protection officers, he threatened the two victims with a pocket knife and then fled. He was apprehended nearby by Cheektowaga police while in possession of the stolen merchandise.

Colon faces a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison when he is sentenced on Wednesday, August 7, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. He was released on his own recognizance pending sentencing.

Acting DA Keane commends the Cheektowaga Police Department and Asset Protection Officers for their work in this investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Megan E. Mahoney of the Felony Trials Bureau.