The morning robbery: At approximately 10:55 on Wednesday, police received reports of a robbery at a car park on Tower Street. The male victim reported being threatened by Wakefield with a knife before having his phone, wallet, air pods and trainers stolen.
The victim was not injured but very shaken as a result. Wakefield then fled the scene.
The Waterfront incident: Later the same day, at just after 14:20, officers were called to reports of a man with a weapon at Regatta Quay on the Waterfront who was threatening members of the public and causing a serious disturbance.
Witnesses described how the situation escalated when The Grazing Sheep was closing. "The Grazing Sheep were trying to close - he was clearly off his nut," said one witness. "He had a box of beers and had been loitering for a while."
The situation deteriorated when other customers offered to help staff clear tables. "Some people drinking outside the waterfront then went to tell him to move on and he flipped started trying to attack them and then pulled a knife out and was running upto people," the witness added.
A second witness described the escalation: "Basically a really drunk guy was asked to leave the grazing sheep as they were closing and he was just sitting there drinking his Stella, so some guys came over to ask the waitress if she needed a hand, she said yes and they started clearing away for her and then the drunk guy kicked off, started shouting at them etc and then pulled out a knife and was trying to stab these men and then he was in such a rage he was trying to stab anyone walking past."
The suspect was restrained by members of the public at the scene before police swiftly attended the Waterfront and arrested Wakefield in connection with the incident.
The charges: Wakefield was taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre and subsequently charged with:
Robbery
Two counts of possession of a knife in a public place
Two counts of threatening people with a knife
Affray
Three counts of assaulting emergency workers
What's next: Wakefield is due to appear before Ipswich Magistrates Court today, Friday 15 August.
The bottom line: What appeared to be an isolated incident at the Waterfront was actually the culmination of a crime spree that began with an armed robbery hours earlier in the town centre.
