Crime & Safety

Police: Violent Robberies May Have Stopped For Now

Officers have suspects in mind. One is in jail for other charges.

The recent spate of violent unarmed robberies in Charlestown may be over for the moment.

Boston Police Det. Charles Wilson told approximately 30 residents at the public safety committee Tuesday night that, , the department believes that the recent crimes are connected, and investigators have “very good suspects” in mind.

“One of these suspects was IDed in a prior robbery that happened three weeks earlier and was arrested recently,” Wilson said.

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That arrest, Wilson said, may have spooked the other individuals involved. He noted that Charlestown hasn’t seen another violent robbery since the , which predated the arrest.

Wilson said that the department narrowed its field of suspects based on photo arrays shown to the crimes’ victims, but that evidence hasn’t quite reached the threshold required to file charges.

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“We believe we have the right people,” Wilson said, investigators just need to build a case.

The next step, Wilson said, may be to ask the district attorney to arrange for a live lineup.

In the mean time, Capt. Bernard O’Rourke told the group that the department has increased patrols in Charlestown by 20-25 percent and is considering further educational efforts.

Those educational efforts could include a police-run rape aggression defense class (better known as the RAD program) or a seminar from a Boston officer on strategies for being aware of your surroundings.

He added that Charlestown has actually seen a significant decrease in robberies this year, but the level of violence involved in the most recent incidents has concerned officers.


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