D-4 Police News
Money grabber
On Tuesday, March 5, at around 9:25 p.m., police responded to a radio call for an armed robbery in progress at Tremont Market at 748 Tremont St.
Upon arrival, officers spoke to the victim, who said he was working at the market when he observed a male suspect with a long, black winter jacket, a grey winter hat and a grey scarf covering his face peering into the store from outside on the Worcester Street side. The suspect then walked inside the market, approached the counter and stated to the victim, “Give me that money.”
The victim said the suspect brandished a black gun and removed $200 from the cash tray before fleeing on Worcester Street towards the rear alley behind 748 Tremont St.
Detectives were subsequently able to view a surveillance video of the incident and recognized the suspect from a separate armed robbery with a gun the same day between 3:40-3:45 a.m. at 55 Berkeley St., at which time the suspect briefly lifted his mask and revealed his face.
A GPS check of the suspect also indicated he was in the vicinity of 55 Berkeley St. at the time of the incident, and that he removed the bracelet about 30 minutes before the alleged robbery.
The detectives also established that the suspect fled the scene in a blue Ford Explorer with a distinct snow pattern on its roof. (The night before, Boston had received around 10 inches of snow.) The vehicle was then spotted on camera traveling on Columbus Avenue around Dartmouth Street at approximately 3:50 a.m. Cameras then tracked the vehicle to the Boston Housing Authority building at 70 St. Botolph St., where the suspect and a female companion were observed getting into the elevator.
On March 7 at about noon, the cashier at the Tremont Market notified police that the suspect in the robbery two days ago had been in the store about 15 minutes earlier and was observed stealing merchandise. Officers arrived at the scene and searched the vicinity for the suspect to no avail.
The next day, the suspect was arrested on an unrelated arrant and transported to District 4 headquarters for booking. He was also positively identified as the suspect in the March 7 robbery at this time.
Detectives then went to 70 Botolph St., where they interviewed the female seen with the suspect in the elevator. She confirmed she was with then individual with the suspect in the video, and that clothing the suspect was observed wearing in video footage of the robbery looked similar to clothes she has seen him in.
Based on these facts, detectives believed they had probable cause to charge the suspect with armed robbery with a gun (while masked), assault and battery and assault by means of a dangerous weapon to wit: gun.
A complaint will be sought in Boston Municipal Court.
In the dark
A victim reported to Boston Police that a suspect had turned off the power to his apartment and entered the building at 271 Dartmouth St. without permission on Wednesday, March 6, at about 3 a.m.
The victim told police that the suspect had gained entry to the building after another resident walked inside and was then observed looking through delivery packages. Afterwards, the suspect went up to the sixth floor, where the victim was staying, and shut off the power to the victim’s unit.
With the help of building security, the victim was able to locate the suspect, who when confronted, offered the victim money to not involve the police.
The victim said he refused the suspect’s money and insisted that security bar him from entering the building.