Four Boston teenagers are facing armed robbery charges after they allegedly stole a woman’s purse and cellphone at knifepoint in Dorchester Tuesday night.
Boston police were patrolling Savin Hill Avenue and Denny Street when they allegedly saw a woman crying with “a confused look on her face” at about 11:10 p.m. Officers observed that a group of juveniles, two males and two females, were about 20 feet away from her, police said today in a statement.
The woman told police the group had pointed a knife at her before taking her purse and cellphone. As officers approached the group, one of the male suspects stayed behind; the other three fled.
A male and a female suspect were discovered hiding on Playstead Road. The female suspect was discovered underneath a parked car with a folding knife in her hand, and the male suspect had taken cover under a porch, the statement said.
The other female suspect was found walking back towards police.
The suspects, whose ages ranged from 14 to 16 years old, were all arrested. Their identities are not being released because they are juveniles.
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"2 held in burglary foiled by Lawrence homeowner" by Jacqueline Tempera | Globe Correspondent March 12, 2014
A Lawrence woman locked herself in her bathroom and called the police after she saw two men break into her home Tuesday afternoon. After she screamed through the door that police were on their way, the men fled, only to be captured a short distance away, police said.
The 40-year-old woman was in her Nesmith Street home at about 4 p.m. when she allegedly saw two men break in and start rummaging through several rooms. She ran to her second-floor bathroom, locked herself in, and called the police.
She whispered to a police dispatcher on the phone, and officers rushed to the scene, police said.
When she heard the two men approach her bedroom on the second floor, she started screaming, “I called the police and they are on their way!” The two men allegedly ran down the stairs, police said.
The woman said she saw the men run out of the home carrying DVDs and video games from her son’s bedroom, police said.
When police arrived, they searched the area and found two men matching the woman’s descriptions a few blocks over on Essex Street, police said.
David Rivera, 19, of Lawrence and Luis Contreras-Pagan, 19, of Haverhill were seen carrying a DVD, PlayStation games, and PlayStation Portable games. A witness said he saw one of the men break a Craig voice recorder in half and throw it on the ground, police said.
The Lawrence woman said she had bought the recorder for her son. The child confirmed the games the men were carrying were his, police said.
The two men pleaded not guilty in Lawrence District Court during their arraignment today. Each was charged with breaking and entering and receiving stolen property over $250, according to a spokeswoman for Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.
Contreras-Pagan was also charged with giving a false name to police officers.
Both men are being held on $1,500 cash bail. If they post bail they are ordered to stay away from the victims, stay in school, and attend probation meetings once a week, said spokeswoman Carrie Kimball-Monahan.
They are both to return to court April 9, said Kimball-Monahan.
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