Armed robber targeting women in Somerville after dark

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

Boston.com article warns of a man attacking women walking by themselves after dark in Somerville.

Be careful out there!

Comments

Community Watch

[coeceo.livejournal.com]

They think this guy is linked to several attacks on women in Somerville, including the stabbing near Sullivan square as well as a robery on Bow Street in Union Sq.

Is there a community watch program in Somerville?

Re: Community Watch

[hakamadare.livejournal.com]

there is one, centered around the Davis Square area (and loosely affiliated with Ward 6 ResiStat). the mailing list is watch@vecna.org (mailto:watch@vecna.org); to join, please send mail to watch-subscribe@vecna.org (mailto:watch-subscribe@vecna.org). we've just seen a few posts about this suspect.

-steve

Re: Community Watch

[ron_newman]

I'll sign up now. Is there a publicly readable archive?

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

Thank you, this is good to know, my wife walks home from Davis every once in a while and this is not too far away.

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

Depending on where your wife is walking to, a bus might be useful. If I'm coming home by myself late at night I will often take the bus, which then drops me much closer to my house.

[shirt-seeker.livejournal.com]

These days I pick her up anyway, and we'll be out of town for a while, hopefully they have caught him by then...

[ron_newman]

Except that means standing at a bus stop, which I'm not sure is better.

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're getting on the bus right in Davis Sq (or anywhere else that's well populated) it's fine. I definitely wouldn't just stand by a random bus stop with nobody around though.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

yikes. thanks. i have mace... somewhere. it might not be a bad idea to find and carry it.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

i have a permit. and it's pretty easy to get them.

[coeceo.livejournal.com]

Ok, here's the deal with pepper spray in Mass. It is illegal to carry without a permit so you better get one or else you are a criminal too. You need to have a Firearms Identification Card or FID. You can apply for the restricted version used to carry pepper spray or mace so you dont need to take a firearm safety course. Here is the form, you get it at the police station. I think it costs $2 and you need two forms of photo ID, thats all there is to it.

http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/chsb/frb_fid_lic_app.pdf

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

why'd you delete your original comment to me?

[coeceo.livejournal.com]

Sorry, reposted with the details before I saw your reply... My girlfriend and I will be getting these permits ASAP.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

good idea. and, well, like you found, the permit was crazy easy to get.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

Please make very very sure you know -- and have practices -- how to use it if you get it. Otherwise you're as much, if not more, danger to yourself than any potential attacker.

[jenskot.livejournal.com]

I heard that with mace and pepper spray you have to make sure you're upwind of it or it can take you out as well... which makes it seem pretty useless to me. What kind of attacker is going to wait around while you redirect him to be downwind?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

the several different containers of pepper spray i've had all use a very concentrated stream rather than a diffuse spray. you'll get hit by a bit of it and will want to go somewhere else very quickly, but it won't hit you nearly as hard as it will someone who is getting the brunt of the directed stream.

obviously, in very strong gale winds, you might have a bit of a problem, but in general, it works pretty well. (by which i mean it works well in the test situations i've tried. i have not had to use my pepper spray in anger, yet, happily.)

one thing to remember is that mace and pepper spray aren't panaceas. motivated attackers can and have managed to continue attacking after being pepper sprayed. in fact, the company that makes mace had to send out a letter a few years back saying, basically, "so, that advertising about how it will stop a guy? yeah, not so much if they're really mad or really motivated."

also, what the *hell* is that in your userpic? it that an eel?

[jenskot.livejournal.com]

Hah, I have no idea... It's from this intimate restaurant in Reykjavik, where they have wonderful cuisine but for some reason decided to decorate with bizarre knickknacks and stuffed creatures. And, because it's Christmas, they of course threw a Santa hat on the massive, scary-toothed fish. Tres romantique!

[rmd.livejournal.com]

it's pretty awesome, i have to say.

[teratomarty.livejournal.com]

Mace is illegal, but travel-size Lysol is not, and has much the same effect. Kick ass and carry on, ladies.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Mace is not illegal in Massachusetts.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Mace is not illegal: you just need a permit to carry it.

[solarpanda.livejournal.com]

In response to all the talk of pepper spray and the like:
Just be sure you can get to it quickly if, god forbid, you have to use it. So many women just throw it in their purse with everything else, which doesn't do any good.
And make sure you know how to use it!

... having these conversations is sad :-/

[ron_newman]

Somerville Journal article
Somerville News article

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

I like how the Somerville Journal article mentions that police released a composite sketch, but they don't include it in the article. That's useful.

So I checked out the sketch in the Somerville News article and he actually looks like someone I saw riding the 89 bus last week who got into an altercation with the driver. Who knows if it's the same person, but that bus had security cameras on it that probably captured his face.

[ron_newman]

After reading your comment, I e-mailed Kat Powers at the Journal to ask why the sketch isn't there anymore.

Please tell the Somerville police what you just said here about the 89 bus passenger.

[ron_newman]

(it would be especially helpful if you know exactly what time you rode that bus)

pepper spray?

[jenej.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this.

To those in the know about the pepper spray issue, after getting the restricted FID card, where does one buy pepper spray?

Re: pepper spray?

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Gun shops. For instance, the hunting/outdoors/gun shop in Porter Square used to sell it.

Re: pepper spray?

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

And they may still sell it: I don't know. I would give you their phone number but I can't remember the name of the store.

Re: pepper spray?

[syntheticnature.livejournal.com]

Roach's Sporting Goods. (Running shoes in sets of six? Teeny tiny little tennis racquets? No.)

Re: pepper spray?

[ron_newman]

And here's their website.

Also

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

To: The Tufts Community
From: Tufts Police
Date: December 10, 2008

On December 9, 2008, the Tufts Police received a report from a student who was the victim of an unarmed robbery that took place on the evening of December 8, 2008, at approximately 11:40 PM. The incident took place on Holland Street, close to Davis Square. The suspect approached the victim and asked about earphones sticking out of the victim's pocket. The suspect then demanded anything else the victim was carrying. The suspect took a phone with the earphones attached, after patting down the victim in search of a wallet. The suspect then fled down Holland Street toward Teele Square.

The victim described the suspect as follows: African-American male, in his 20s, 6'1", clean shaven with round features and a heavy build. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt, black baseball hat, and baggy jeans. The suspect spoke in a low voice and may have used slurred speech.

Re: Also

[ron_newman]

This is a different suspect. The stabber described in the news stories is white.

Re: Also

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

I know, but I thought it might be helpful to notify people that there's another guy running around mugging women.

Re: Also

[ron_newman]

Unfortunately true.

Re: Also

[jezekel.livejournal.com]

It was actually a guy who was robbed.
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/blog/thehill?page155=BlogPosting&article155=19.467549#comment467549

Re: Also

[maelithil.livejournal.com]

Whoops! I was under the impression it was a woman. Thanks for the info!

[mermaidcafe.livejournal.com]

I imagine, at least for students, there's some sort of safe ride service available too that would be good to employ for these things. If you work at a nearby university, check into it.

This sounds kind of weird, but I've also had good luck, when walking alone in sketchy places, in asking someone else walking in the same direction if I can just walk with them. Almost every time, the person (I usually ask another woman, who might be frightened as well)is grateful.

Update

[fefie.livejournal.com]

According to boston.com, Somerville police have announced the arrest this morning of a suspect in these attacks.