The following incidents were selected from the Lexington Police Department log during the weeks leading up to September 22, 2024. The Lexington Observer does not independently verify this information.
Arrest
Monday, September 9 at 8:00 p.m., a Cambridge resident reported his white bike stolen and that he had been punched in the face while on the bike path. The victim carefully described the thief who assaulted him. The bike was ridden north toward Lexington Center, and an officer tracked it down and the male rider matched the given description. His posture and rapid pedaling suggested urgency. The officer identified the Roxbury resident and placed him under arrest for “Simple Assault and Unarmed Robbery.”
Assault and Battery
Sunday, September 15 at 5:40 p.m., a Simonds Rd. resident reported that while driving on Concord Ave. a road rage incident occurred with a cyclist. She stated the cyclist pulled up next to her vehicle and yelled “FU” in her direction. She “flipped him off” before continuing eastbound on Concord Ave. Then she turned around to locate the cyclist and take a picture of him. He rode his bike up to her driver’s side window and spit in her face. The cyclist continued northbound on Hutchinson Rd. where she lost sight of him. The responding officer checked the area for camera footage and the cyclist without success. There are no known witnesses to the incident.
Monday, September 16 at 6:25 p.m., an Uber driver reported a group of juveniles causing a disturbance in the Waltham St. driveway at Lexington High School. Responding officers located the group in the faculty parking lot. They were running away from an Uber driver. They had participated in a dispute with the adult male driver due to a late pickup. Allegations of threats and assaults were made.
Friday, September 20 at 11:45 p.m., multiple individuals gathered near Bridge School on Middleby Rd., and yelling among them increased. After a verbal exchange escalated between two males, one struck the other in the face. All individuals were separated upon arrival. Parents were notified and arrived on scene to pick up the remaining juveniles. All exited the Bridge School premises without further incident.
Community Engagement
Tuesday, September 10 at 4:00 p.m., a cadet completed his assignment at the John Lucente funeral services at Douglas Funeral Home.
Sunday, September 15 at 11:25 a.m., an officer was assigned to patrol the bike block party event on the Minuteman Bikeway.
Wednesday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m., a detective met with the security supervisor of Boston Children’s Hospital at Lexington who wanted to review protocols for various emergencies, situations, and communication with LPD. He was also interested in potential joint community outreach programs.
Directed Park, Lock, and Walk – Schools
During the first 2 weeks of school, officers made 14 visits to elementary schools, 3 to middle schools, and 1 to the high school. During these visits, officers interacted informally with numerous staff and students. At the same time, they familiarized themselves with the layout of the schools as they walked through corridors, classrooms, and the school grounds.
Suspicious Activity
Thursday, September 12 at 3:05 p.m., a Merrimack, New Hampshire resident reported driving on Lowell St. and seeing a naked older man in a yard “pleasuring himself.” The responding officer spoke with the homeowner who stated he was outside in his yard shirtless but wearing “skin-colored” shorts. He thought that might have been what the NH woman observed.
Thursday, September 12 at 9:25 p.m., a call came in reporting a man who appeared to be “dragging a teenage girl by her arm and shoulders” toward Ridge Rd. from East St. The caller stated the girl was upset, and the man was nervous, but he waved at her. Responding officers reported speaking with a father and daughter walking with his arm around her because she was upset. The daughter was in good spirits, and the father explained his daughter was having a panic attack due to anxiety and that all was fine.
Sunday, September 15 at 7:55 p.m., a Kendall Rd. resident reported noticing a vehicle parked outside his residence with the lights off. He saw the car pull into his driveway before leaving. This resident observed it pull into another driveway on Kendall. Then he followed it and took a photo of the license plate. Shortly afterward, the vehicle arrived back out front of his residence. A female began knocking on his door. The residents turned off the lights in their home and did not answer the door. Dispatch identified the vehicle belonging to another Kendall Rd. resident. The responding officer verified this when he spoke to the driver and his aunt. He had recently obtained his license and was practicing his driving skills around the neighborhood.
Wednesday, September 18 at 2:35 p.m., police responded to a request for a cruiser check at Pilgrim Church and Coolidge Ave. A motor vehicle had passed the building repeatedly making meeting attendees nervous. The vehicle had not stopped, and there was no communication with the operator. No vehicle matching the description or plate number was located in the area.
Sunday, September 22 at 4:20 p.m., a report came in of a man looking into construction equipment cabs on Marrett Rd. at the overpass. The responding officer checked the area, but the individual left before his arrival.
Disturbance and Noise Complaint
Wednesday, September 11 at 11:35 PM., an Adams St. caller reported she had heard a man yelling. She couldn’t pinpoint his location but provided a Ring doorbell recording of a man yelling. Responding officers checked the surrounding houses and general area, but all was quiet.
Sunday, September 15 at 4:50 p.m., a Bloomfield St. resident reported a disturbance at center field on Worthen Rd. Responding officers spoke with this resident who reported a discussion about using the space on the tennis courts at center field. The issue was resolved and all was calm upon arrival.
Wednesday, September 18 at 1:05 p.m., a Pelham Academy staff member requested assistance with a disturbance. The staff member had secured a Section 12 for a student and had a private ambulance on scene for the transport. Officers remained on scene for a potential breach of peace, and the student was transported without incident.
Sunday, September 15 at 12:55 a.m., a Leonard Rd. resident reported a very loud, large party in the area. Officers spoke with the host who stated they were doing karaoke and would keep it down for the rest of the night. All was in order.
Animal Control
*Remember: Leashed dogs usually do not bite people, jump out car windows, run loose in the streets, or get injured!
Friday, September 13 at 6:00 p.m., police responded to a call regarding a dog bite on the Lexington side of the Arlington Reservoir. An Arlington resident indicated being bitten by a small, white dog. The victim’s daughter arrived on scene to translate the conversation. Her father had been walking on the rail trail when he was bitten. The owner and the dog left before officers arrived.
Monday, September 16 at 12:55 a.m., an Arlington resident called for EMS at the Lexington Travel Plaza. He was transported to Lahey Clinic. The responding officer transported his black and white pit bull mix to the kennel for safekeeping until a family member could be reached.
Wednesday, September 18 at 10:10 p.m., a Winchester resident called to explain that while at Dunkin’ Donuts at Waltham St. and Marrett Rd. earlier in the day, his small, white dog had jumped out the window of his car. He had been unable to locate his dog, Thumper.
Thursday, September 19 at 9:10 p.m., an upset Mass Ave. resident reported a dead raccoon in the middle of the road that had been struck by a car. The responding officer moved it to the side of the road and notified DPW for removal.
Friday, September 20 at 11:10 a.m., an Adams St. resident reported an “animal” stuck in her chimney. The responding officer was able to free the stuck bird.
Saturday, September 21 at 12:52 a.m., an officer reported finding a loose dog running on Woburn St. Responding units could not catch the black and white dog as it took off toward Lowell St. It was last seen on Woburn St. as it ran off into the woods.
Saturday, September 21 at 841 a.m., a Solomon Pierce Rd. caller reported her lost black and white border collie/mutt mix wearing a blue collar. The caller’s phone number and dog’s name were on it. The loose dog was last seen near Woburn St. and Lowell St.
Larceny and Breaking and Entering
Wednesday, September 11 at 4:50 p.m., a Main Campus Drive resident reported his 48” Samsung TV had been stolen on Saturday, September 7. He had placed it beside elevators at approximately 9:20 p.m. for 15 minutes. Avalon would not provide the video footage from that time to this resident or the responding officer.
Thursday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m., a Fairbanks Rd. resident reported packages containing an iPhone and Adidas shoes delivered earlier in the day stolen from his residence. His camera footage showed a red moped driving by at 5:15, and an individual taking the packages.
Sunday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m., a Lexington Ridge Dr. resident and his daughter reported leaving her backpack under the stairs in the rear at Lexington Ridge on September 12th at 3:00 p.m. When she returned at 4:00, her backpack was gone. It contained various items including an HP Chromebook from Diamond Middle School.
Tuesday, September 17 at 5:10 p.m., a Wilson’s Farm employee reported a shoplifter being held in their office. The responding officer spoke with all involved. The employee stated an individual walked outside with a bag of groceries without paying. She said her sister was waiting in a vehicle in the parking lot. The individual said she went to the car to get her Wilson’s Farm gift cards to pay and intended to return. The value of the groceries was $130.10. This was paid for with cash. She did have a Wilson’s Farm gift card, but the store requested cash. The store manager issued a “No Trespass” for both individuals.
Monday, September 9 at 4:00 p.m., a Eugene Rd. resident reported her car had been broken into between 1:00 and 1:35 p.m. Two credit cards and $500 cash were stolen from her purse. The responding officer reported the Visa card was used at four stores at the Burlington Mall and $2,250 was lost. MasterCard reported no unauthorized charges at this time and both cards were canceled. Video footage at one store reportedly shows a female, approximately 5 foot seven with a heavy build, wearing a white shirt and a mask. The MasterCard was used in two of the same stores for $4,965.57 charges. The total loss was $7,215.27. The cardholder believes the card issuer will cover the unauthorized charges.
Tuesday, September 17 at 3:35 p.m., a Mass Ave. resident reported her car had been ransacked. She had not used the car since late August and had left it unlocked the entire time. Luckily, the only missing item was a coin purse with approximately $2.00 of quarters.
Fraud
Monday, September 9 at 5:40 p.m., a Garfield St. resident reported check fraud. He mailed a check at a USPS mailbox. The check was altered and cashed by an unknown suspect. This resident reported the incident to his bank and he currently has a loss of $8,500.
Tuesday, September 10 at 12:55 p.m., branch managers for DCU banks in Lexington and Burlington reported a past incident. They explained an unidentified woman had come into the Lexington branch and deposited checks for different people living out of state. The fraudulent checks were for large amounts.
Wednesday, September 11 at 6:35 p.m., a Skyview Rd. resident (who owns several businesses) reported being scammed into depositing $5,000 in cash into a Bitcoin machine. He thought he was speaking with an Eversource representative. Police advised him to file an IC3 form. A detective also spoke with him and began making notifications to his resources in the Bureau, and a kill chain* fraud form was filed. *Cybersecurity kill chain “is a model used to identify and describe the stages of a cyber-attack, from initial reconnaissance to data exfiltration. It helps organizations understand and detect adversary actions at each phase, allowing them to implement effective defenses and mitigate attacks.”
Friday, September 13 at 3:20 p.m., a Colony Rd. resident reported receiving a letter from the Massachusetts Unemployment Department regarding a claim. She had not applied for benefits indicating an unknown person had utilized her personal information. This is an active scam, and the Unemployment Department of Massachusetts uses its fraud department to deal with these cases.
Saturday, September 14 at 12:35 p.m., a Saddle Club Rd. resident reported a scheme involving a washed, altered check from his account. He did not have a monetary loss, and he has put a stop on the check and a flag on his account.
Saturday, September 21 at 1:15 p.m., a Park Street resident reported identity theft. Someone used his personal information to obtain credentials to work for Lyft. He has received an IRS statement for $92,000 in back taxes.
*The Lexington Police Department updates its call log on Monday mornings. Lexington Observer coverage is a sampling of incidents and is not an exhaustive list. Logs are available for public viewing.