East Arlington Man Charged with Saturday’s Armed Robbery

An Arlington police officer on patrol Sunday morning arrested an East Arlington man, who allegedly robbed Ripples Hair Salon at knifepoint Saturday afternoon.

Sean R. Harding, 36, of 40 Margaret St., was arrested and charged with armed robbery. He is being held by Arlington police on $5,000 cash bail until his arraignment Monday morning in Cambridge District Court, according to an Arlington police release.

Harding allegedly entered the Arlington Center salon at 309 Broadway at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, during Arlington First Lights celebration, and demanded money from the cash register, while holding a knife in a threatening manner. Harding made off with more than $400, according to police.

The officer, T.J. Kelley, spotted Harding based on the suspect’s description, according to Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan.

“Unlike seen on television, serious crimes are more commonly solved by savvy police officers in the field talking to people of the neighborhood”, Ryan said in a statement. “This was good old fashioned police work, the kind that municipal police officers do every day in communities all over this Commonwealth.”

When Harding was being taken into custody, Saturday’s victim was brought to the scene and positively identified him, police said.

The investigation is ongoing, but police said they have recovered a knife possibly used in the robbery. Police are also trying to determine if Harding was involved in any other crimes over the weekend.