Third Suspect in Robberies Arrested
Suspects tied to two of four robberies
Photo courtesy of the Brookline Police Department
A third suspect has been arrested in connection with two of four armed robberies that have left the Charles River Campus awash in anxiety and put extra patrols from two police departments on the streets.
Boston University Police Chief Thomas Robbins says the suspect, whose name is being withheld because he’s a juvenile, turned himself in to Brookline police at about 5 p.m. Friday. He is charged with two counts of armed robbery for his alleged involvement in the second and third robberies in a two-week string of four robberies or attempted robberies of members of the BU community. Earlier on Friday, Brookline police arrested a second suspect, Taquari Milton, 17, of Roxbury. Milton is charged with two counts of armed robbery for the same crimes, committed on September 25 and October 5. Both suspects are scheduled to be arraigned in Brookline District Court on Monday, October 15.
The arrest comes less than 24 hours after a first suspect walked into Brookline police headquarters and turned himself in. That suspect, whose name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, is also charged with two counts of armed robbery for the same crimes. He pleaded not guilty to both counts in Brookline District Court and is being held without bail until October 18, when he will face a dangerousness hearing to determine his eligibility to be released on bail.
Robbins describes the arrests as the outcome of good police work, “and the usual cooperation” of the BU, Brookline, and Boston police. He says all three of the suspects are tied to the second and third robbery, and none has yet been tied to the first and fourth robbery. He says investigators are looking closely into the possibility. Robbins says the enhanced patrols put on the street by the BUPD and Brookline police will remain in place until those responsible for all of the crimes have been caught.
Peter Fiedler (COM’77), vice president for administrative services, says the BU administration is extremely proud of the work done by all three police departments in solving these crimes. Fiedler urges all students to remain cautious until all of the crimes are solved.
The arrests come in the immediate wake of a $10,000 reward offered by BU for information leading to the arrest and conviction of one or more of the perpetrators. Brookline Police Chief Daniel O’Leary says the role of the reward in the arrests is unclear, but he believes that the arrests were certainly influenced by a video of three suspects that was posted on BU Today and other news outlets. All three suspects now in custody appear in the video, which was recorded by a surveillance camera on October 5.
The robberies began at 3 a.m. on Sunday, September 23, when two BU students were robbed of an iPhone, an Android cell phone, a wallet, and $50 at Thorndike Street and Hamilton Road. On Tuesday, September 25, a trio of black males robbed three male BU students at gunpoint in the clear light of day—5 p.m.—at Egmont and St. Paul Streets. A third robbery, this time of a recent BU graduate, took place at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, October 5, at St. Paul and Thatcher Streets. A subsequent armed attempt to rob a female student occurred in the driveway of 808 Commonwealth Ave. on Tuesday, October 9, at 8:30 p.m. The woman told police that two assailants, who brandished a handgun, fled when they learned that she had nothing of value in her bag. There were no injuries in any of the assaults.
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