The victims’ descriptions of the suspects to Cambridge police matched those of suspects who had committed four street robberies at knifepoint near MIT in the previous week.
On Nov. 2, the robberies continued when suspects of the same description stole a Somerville resident’s laptop, cell phone, and wallet on Shepard Street outside of the Quad.
Later that night, men of the same description robbed a resident at knifepoint on Albany Street near MIT.
One the suspects was arrested the next day, but the other remained at large. The robberies continued.
A man was robbed on Mass. Ave. outside of the Dudley Co-op on Nov. 6 by two suspects who demanded the victim’s money and then sliced his face with a pocket knife. Although this crime was conducted by two suspects again, Cambridge police said, at the time, they did not think the robberies were connected.
The following week, on Nov. 11, a man unaffiliated with Harvard was robbed at gunpoint in the Yard near Thayer Hall. The victim complied and handed over his wallet to the suspect. A suspect was later arrested by Cambridge police. While the event was the fifth robbery in Harvard Square in two weeks, it was the first time a gun was presented.
A different suspect, who has recently been found guilty, fired a gun at a member of CPD when the officer interrupted the man’s attempt to rob Silva and two other Harvard freshmen on Nov. 13 on Brattle Street. The suspect was caught shortly thereafter.
Another suspect, who was later arrested, and two accomplices robbed a Boston resident by the Harvard Square T Station and demanded the victim’s cell phone and wallet early in the morning on Nov. 16.
A male Harvard undergraduate was robbed on the corner of Walker Street and Shepard Street on Nov. 21. The CPD said, at the time, they did not think the incident was related to others in the spike.
ACTING FAST
In response to the spree of robberies in the fall of 2010, HUPD and Cambridge police swiftly enacted measures to increase safety around Harvard’s campus.
HUPD upped the number of officers on patrol in street clothes and uniforms, according to Catalano.
“Officers made themselves visible on campus,” Catalano says.
For example, police vehicles parked in the Yard would keep their lights turned on to signal police presence.
Issuing prompt community advisories each time a crime was committed contributed to the crime’s notoriety, says Daniel M. Riviello, who joined CPD in May 2010 as its new spokesperson.
Read more in News
Shot after Shot: Harvard's Drinking ProblemRecommended Articles
-
Law School Student Robbed on Mass. Ave.A male law school student was the victim of an armed robbery near Porter Square on Sunday at approximately 4:22 a.m., according to a Harvard Police e-mail advisory sent yesterday afternoon.
-
$30,000 Worth of iPhones Stolen from RadioShackRobbers stole $30,000 worth of iPhones, along with more than $1,800 in cash, from the RadioShack on 28 JFK St. late Sunday night, according to a report filed by the Cambridge Police Department.
-
BRIEF: Harvard Affiliates Assaulted in Two Incidents, One Victim StabbedTwo Harvard affiliates were robbed at knifepoint Monday night, with one victim receiving stab wounds to the arm, the Cambridge Police reported yesterday.
-
Police Arrest Robbery SuspectOfficers arrested a suspect early yesterday morning in connection with a series of armed robberies in the Harvard and MIT areas, relying on the joint efforts of seven police departments and the U.S. Secret Service, according to an alert from the Cambridge Police Department.
-
Robbers Strike Outside DudleyA man was the victim of an attempted armed robbery on Massachusetts Avenue near Sacramento Street right outside of the Dudley Co-op on Saturday at 12:45 a.m., according to the Cambridge Police Department.
-
Harvard Continues Extra Yard OfficersAdditional police officers hired in response to a robbery outside Thayer Hall last Thursday will continue to patrol the Yard this weekend, according to a Harvard University Police Department spokesman.
