A Grand Blanc man, suspected in two separate armed robberies in Independence and Waterford townships, was arrested by police in Grand Blanc after they traced a car involved in a road run-off incident to him.
The suspect allegedly attempted an armed robbery in Independence Township, committed an armed robbery in Waterford Township and ran an Independence Township resident’s vehicle off the road after the second incident on June 6.
William Anthony Bigler V was arraigned in Waterford’s 51st District Court on June 8 before Magistrate Edward Soma on one count of armed robbery. Bond was set at $50,000. A preliminary exam conference was scheduled for June 13 before the Honorable Phyllis C. McMillen.
Bigler was also arraigned in 52-2 District Court in Independence Township before Magistrate O’Brien on June 9 for two counts of assault with intent to rob while armed and a count of committing a felony with a motor vehicle. Bond was set at $250,000. His next appearance is scheduled for June 16 before Judge Kelley Kostin.
The first incident took place at the McDonalds on Dixie Highway in Independence Township around 5:50 p.m. on June 6. According to police reports, a man drove up to the drive thru window waving a gun at the cashier and demanding money.
The employee did not turn over the money and called her manager. The restaurant employees moved away from the window and called 911.
The suspected armed robber was described in reports as a white male about 20 years of age with light-colored hair, wearing a hat and glasses.
Lt. Dale LaBair of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Independence Township substation confirmed police interviewed a different suspect whose car matched a vehicle seen at the restaurant following statements from the employees, but determined that person was not involved in the incident.
In a second incident, which occurred around 5:58 p.m. later that same day, Bigler allegedly robbed a liquor store in Waterford on Walton Boulevard near Sashabaw Road. According to police reports from the Waterford Police Department, Bigler allegedly pointed a gun inside a brown paper bag at a store employee before making away with between $600 and $1,000.
Shortly after the attempted robbery at McDonald’s and hearing the call for the liquor store robbery from the Waterford Police Department, dispatch received another call from a Clarkston resident reporting an older vehicle had cut her off on Sashabaw Road running her off the road into a yard around 6:01 p.m. According to the resident, both vehicles left the roadway.
‘The general description of the man given by Waterford police matched ours from the road incident,? said LaBair, explaining how police suspected the incidents in Waterford and Independence Township were related. ‘In their robbery, they had a general description of a light colored gray car they thought was a Buick.?
As stated in reports, despite attempts by the suspected car to flee, the resident chased the vehicle to the intersection of Maybee and Sashabaw roads. The resident described the car as a tan older model car and the driver as a white male with short blond hair, wearing a light colored polo shirt.
?(The other driver) was mad enough to catch up and got his license plate,? said LaBair, who explained police were able to trace the car through associations to a suspect who fit the description of the armed robbery.
LaBair said a Buick emblem was found in turf damage discovered on Sashabaw Road where the reported run-off occurred.
Grand Blanc Police located the man the following morning and notified the Independence Township substation around 4 a.m. Detectives from the substation interviewed the suspect while he was held at Oakland County Jail on charges in Waterford. Reports from Waterford state Bigler confessed to the robberies and led police to an aerosol pistol in the trunk of the car.