4/26/18

4/26

On Thursday morning, an officer met with the victim of an imposter scam. The victim received an email he believed to be of a friend's email address, where he was asked to do a favor. The favor included sending who the victim believed to be his alleged friend, funds in the form of gift cards. The victim helped whom he believed to be a friend, sending him gift cards on that one occasion. It wasn't until receiving further requests from his "friend" that the victim realized they had fallen for a scam. This case is being investigated by Brookline PD.

4/25/2018

11:35 AM  Police responded to 46 Tappan Street, Brookline High School Unified Arts Building for a fire alarm. It was determined that there was an active fire in a second floor classroom.  With the assistance of police and firefighters the building was evacuated. The fire was contained to classroom #21 (metal shop) and was quickly extinguished. The source of the fire was that of an acetylene gas tank. The Unified Arts Building sustained significant damage from the fire. The second floor classrooms and hallway sustained heavy fire, smoke, and water damage. The third floor classrooms and hallways sustained smoke damage.  The Deputy Fire Chief estimated approximately $150,000.00 in damage to the building. There were no injuries reported.

 2:45 PM Police were dispatched to Beacon Street for a report of a shoplifter. Dispatch broadcast a description of the suspect. After speaking with the store’s manager it was determined that the suspect concealed 4 bottles of Arm and Hammer brand laundry detergent in his backpack and left without paying. A short time later an Officer observed a male matching the description of the shoplifter near Brookline Village. After a brief investigation Officers discovered the bottles of laundry detergent in his backpack. Officers were able to review camera footage at the store and confirmed the male was in fact the suspect. He was placed under arrest.

 3:30 PM  A crossing guard came to the front desk to hand in a found cell phone. He stated that the phone was handed to him from a citizen who found the phone at Clark Playground. The phone is described as a white and gray Nokia cell phone with a blue and black case. The phone was placed in evidence for safe keeping.

 9:28 PM Police were dispatched to Commonwealth Avenue for a past shoplifting. The employee stated a male wearing a green t-shirt, black jacket and jeans, with a beard and mustache, concealed 17 Gillette Razors (valued at over $300) in his jacket and left the store without paying. His direction of flight was unknown. Police canvassed the area but were unable to locate the suspect.

Tuesday, April 24th

4/24

During the early hours of Tuesday morning, officers observed a vehicle driving down the wrong direction on Heath St. When attempting to conduct a traffic stop, the operator of the vehicle immediately accelerated, leading officers to turn on their emergency overhead lights and pursue the suspect towards Warren St. Officers continued to follow this vehicle as it failed to stop at a stop sign and traveled through a solid red light at Heath/Lee St, turning left towards Boylston St. The operator of the vehicle continued to run red lights as they fled from Brookline PD. The reckless driver then negligently ran a red light at the intersection of Chestnut Hill Ave/Beacon St. where several cars with the right of way were attempting to travel towards Commonwealth Ave.

Due to dangerous and reckless driving conditions on behalf of the suspect, the pursuit was stopped to ensure the safety of those driving in the area at this time. Officers were able to find the motor vehicle in question in the area of Strathmore Rd, where the suspect jumped out of his vehicle, now fleeing on-foot. Brookline PD began running in the direction of the suspect, continuously identifying themselves as Police Officers and commanding him to stop.

At this time, additional officers arrived on scene to assist, allowing an officer within the original pursuit to find the suspect's location.

Officers observed many items outside of the vehicle the suspect was driving. A Massachusetts Driver's License was found among these items and was traced back to a party who was not at all involved in the motor vehicle pursuit. All items found belonged to the aforementioned unrelated party, including the motor vehicle the suspect was driving.

The suspect, a 37 year-old Newton resident, was charged with multiple moving violations in addition to Receiving Stolen Property - Motor Vehicle, Failure to Stop for Police Officer and Operating to Endanger. All property stolen belonging to the owner of the vehicle was returned.

4/24/18 (continued)

4/24

A victim of fraud came into the station to report the misuse of his credit card. He stated that he received an email regarding an online purchase the victim had not made. Information regarding the fraudulent purchase was provided to police. This investigation is ongoing. 

An officer was dispatched Tuesday night to Marshall St for a past larceny report. The victim stated that on April 19th he had come home around 7PM to find his package opened in the front foyer of his building. Out of the 4 items ordered, only 1 item remained within the torn package. A follow-up has been requested as police continue investigating.

April 12th through April 22nd

April 12^th, 2018

On April 12, an officer was dispatched to Walnut St. for a report of a larceny. The victim reported that she had left a belonging in the unlocked vestibule of her residence and when she went to retrieve it, it was gone. The incident is under investigation.

April 13^th, 2018

Early in the morning on April 13, an officer observed a vehicle traveling on Harvard St. with no inspection sticker. The officer ran a query of the vehicle and found that the registered owner had an active warrant in his name. The officer conducted a traffic stop, confirmed the identity of the driver, and placed him under arrest.

On April 13, an officer responded to Norfolk Road for a past breaking and entering of a motor vehicle. The reporting party stated that she had parked her vehicle in her driveway unlocked overnight, and when she returned, the car had been rifled through and money was taken.

An officer responded to Alwyngton Road for a report of a past breaking and entering of a motor vehicle. The reporting party stated that she had parked her vehicle in her driveway unlocked overnight, and when she returned, her vehicle was rifled through. Nothing was reported missing.

An officer responded to Boylston St. to take a larceny report. The victim stated that a package had been delivered to the vestibule of his residence the night before but when he went to retrieve it in the morning, the package had been ripped open and the contents removed. The incident is being investigated.

An officer was dispatched to Crafts Rd. for a report of a breaking and entering of a motor vehicle. The reporting party stated that he had parked his vehicle unlocked in his driveway overnight and found that it was rummaged through the next morning.

April 15, 2018

On April 15, an officer was dispatched to Boylston St. for a larceny report. The reporting party stated that over the weekend 4 copper down spouts had been stolen. The incident is being investigated.

April 16, 2018

On April 16, an officer was dispatched to Norfolk Rd. for a report of a past breaking and entering. The reporting party stated that when he arrived this morning, numerous electrical cables had been stolen. The incident is under investigation.

On April 16, a man came into the police station to report a past breaking and entering and larceny from a motor vehicle. The victim stated that he had parked his vehicle on Washington St. for a couple of hours on 4/13 and later discovered that multiple items were missing. The incident is being investigated.

April 17, 2018

In the evening of April 17, officers were dispatched to the area of Boylston St. for a report of a man stealing something from a building with the caller following him on foot. Officers spoke to the reporting parties who stated that while cleaning the building they had located a man in one of the bathrooms who quickly exited. Soon after, there was a commotion on the main level where the suspect was observed trying to steal a cash register. Reporting parties approached the suspect who then ripped the cash register from the counter and fled.  Officers were given a description of the suspect and located him near the Chestnut Hill MBTA. The man was arrested for Larceny in a Building, Malicious Damage, and Receiving Stolen Property.

April 18, 2018

In the afternoon of April 18, officers were dispatched to Harvard St. for a report of shoplifting that had just occurred. The reporting party stated that she had observed a female party enter the store and place multiple items into her purse. When the reporting party tried to confront the suspect, the suspect fled the store and yelled for a male party waiting for her to run. The incident is being investigated.

April 19, 2018

On April 19, an officer was dispatched to Winchester St. for a possible fraud report. The reporting party stated that she had received a phone call from a male party claiming to be from the IRS. The male party told her that she owed money and that there was a warrant in her name. The male party stated that she would need to pay him in order to fix the issue. BPD was able to confirm that this was a scam.

An officer was dispatched to Boylston St. for a report of a larceny. The reporting party stated that multiple sections of copper rain downspouts had been removed from the building. The incident is being investigated.

An officer was dispatched to a business on Harvard St. for a report of suspicious activity. The reporting party stated that a man had come in and placed and order, which he paid for with a $50 bill. After receiving change and making small talk, the male party stated that he had received the incorrect amount of change and the employee remedied this. After the male party left, the employee believed the incident to be a scam and went to warn other businesses in the area. Two other businesses in the area, one on Boylston St. and the other on Beacon St., reported similar incidents.

In the evening of April 19, an officer was dispatched to a business on Harvard St. for a report of past shoplifting. The reporting party stated that the day before a male party had entered the store and appeared to act as a “lookout.” The reporting party stated that shortly after, another male entered the store and began to take items and place them into a reusable shopping bag. The second man then left the store with the stolen merchandise and the first man followed. The incident is under investigation.

April 21, 2018

On April 21, a man came into the police station to report stolen packages. The reporting party stated that two packages had been confirmed as delivered to his residence on Independence Dr. on April 14, yet the man never received them. The incident is under investigation.

April 22, 2018

On April 22, an officer was dispatched to West Roxbury Parkway for a larceny report. On arrival, the reporting party stated that two golf clubs had been stolen while a customer was inside the Pro Shop. The incident is being investigated.

An officer was dispatched to Babcock St. for a past bicycle theft. The reporting party stated that he had left his bicycle locked to a rack at Brookline High School on Thursday and when he returned on Sunday, the bike was gone. The incident is being investigated.

An officer was dispatched to Linden St. for a larceny report. The reporting party stated that she had been out of town from 4/18 to 4/22 and when she arrived home, the package she had been expecting had been ripped open and the contents removed. The incident is under investigation.