BOSTON – Three men have been charged with kidnapping and robbery after allegedly preventing a 14-year-old from exiting an MBTA train, assaulting him, and stealing his cellphone, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced.
According to the DA’s office, Michael Cole, 23, of Boston, Derrick Eures, 25, of Dedham, and Nathan Moorewhite Jr., 19, of Dorchester were charged Monday in Roxbury Municipal Court with kidnapping, armed and masked robbery, and disorderly conduct on public conveyance. They were ordered held without bail until a dangerousness hearing on Thursday, where Judge Lisa Ann Grant ruled them dangerous but released them to GPS monitoring with home confinement. They are also barred from using MBTA public transportation while their cases are pending.
The three are scheduled to return to court on May 20 for probable cause hearings.
Authorities said the incident occurred around 3:23 p.m. on March 7 when MBTA transit police at the Forest Hills Station were approached by three juveniles reporting that their friend had been robbed. The juveniles stated they had boarded an Orange Line train at Roxbury Crossing when three adult men, all wearing black face masks, began harassing them and threatening to beat them up.
When the group attempted to exit at the next stop, the men allegedly grabbed one of their friends, pulled him back onto the train, and stole his cellphone. The victim was later able to contact his friends and report the theft, but he chose to go home instead of meeting them at Forest Hills Station to speak with police.
Investigators later met with the victim, 14, who stated one of the men threatened to beat him up while making gestures as if he had a weapon. He said the other two men assaulted him, took his phone, removed the phone case, and handed him back his CharlieCard, which was stored inside the case.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows one of the men approaching the juveniles on the train. As they attempted to exit at Jackson Square Station, the other two men allegedly grabbed the victim’s backpack, pulled him back into the train car, and slammed him against the opposite door. After taking the victim’s cellphone, one of the suspects is seen on video placing his hand inside his sweatshirt, extending it while still concealed, and pressing it against the victim’s abdomen, as if to simulate a weapon. The victim has both of his hands raised in the video at this time.
At approximately 7:05 p.m., MBTA transit police observed three men at Forest Hills Station matching the descriptions from surveillance footage and witness statements. Cole, Eures, and Moorewhite were taken into custody, and a background check revealed Cole had an outstanding warrant from Boston Municipal Court Central. Police also recovered the victim’s cellphone from Moorewhite’s possession.
“All forms of bullying and violence are intolerable, but this conduct toward a 14-year-old boy is particularly deplorable,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden. “All our residents deserve to go about their daily lives safely, peacefully, and without fear of harassment or violence. I thank the transit police for their work in quickly identifying the individuals involved.”
