SOMERVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT
News Release
Contact: Deputy Chief Paul Upton December 15, 2008
Suspect Arrested for Somerville Street Robberies
SOMERVILLE - Over the past week, Detectives from the Somerville and Cambridge Police Departments, assisted by State Police Detectives assigned to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office have been investigating a series of street robberies in the Cambridge and Somerville area. Many of these cases displayed similarities both in the ways the robberies were committed and in the physical description of the suspect. On December 8th, a victim of one of the robberies committed in Somerville sustained a serious stab wound to the chest. On December 11th, a second victim in Somerville suffered a minor cut to the hand as she struggled with her assailant.
Last Wednesday, as part of a continuing joint investigation in which they shared information and leads, Cambridge and Somerville Police released a surveillance video of a female suspect using a credit card that was stolen during a Cambridge street robbery. The video showed a female making a purchase at the Target Store in Somerville. Many additional leads were received from the public following the news media’s broadcast of these images.
On Saturday morning, Somerville Police received a lead from a citizen who identified the female on the surveillance video from the Somerville Target Store. That information along with other leads, led to the connection of a male known to be associated with this female who resembled the composite sketch. Detectives continued to track down investigative leads that resulted in the identification and location of a vehicle that may have been in use by the suspects. The car was found in the area of Fulton Street in Medford.
Detectives from Cambridge, Somerville and State Police were joined by Medford Police Detectives in establishing a day-long surveillance in the Fulton Street area. At about 5:30 p.m., both the male and female suspects exited a house on Fulton Street and were quickly arrested as they entered their vehicle.
The female, identified as Kim Marie Szathmary, age 41, of Somerville, was charged with Forgery, Uttering a Forged Document and Fraudulent Use of a Credit Card. She was booked at the Medford Police station and turned over to Somerville Detectives. The male suspect, identified as Vincent Anthony Primo, age 40, of Medford, was initially arrested based on an outstanding arrest warrant for an unrelated matter. He was subsequently charged with Armed Assault with Intent to Rob, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault and Battery in connection with the Somerville robbery on December 10th on Bow Street near Union Square. He has also been charged with Armed Assault with Intent to Murder, Armed Robbery and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon in connection with the December 8th robbery on Washington Street where the victim suffered a stab wound, and Armed Robbery, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault and Battery in connection with the December 8th robbery on Harrison Street near Beacon Street.
Cambridge Police Detectives continue to investigate Primo’s possible connection to several robberies that were committed in Cambridge.
In addition to the police agencies mentioned above, investigators received assistance from Detective Jack Skinner of the Concord Police Department, who created the composite sketch of the suspect. The investigation also received assistance from Detectives from the Boston Police Department Area B-2.
Somerville Police Chief Anthony Holloway and Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas saluted the work of the investigative team, whose cooperative, inter-jurisdictional effort led to a quick and peaceful arrest in connection with this series of robberies. They expressed their thanks to the Greater Boston news outlets that committed their resources to alerting the public and disseminating the composite sketch of the suspect. They also expressed their thanks to the many citizens who volunteered information and leads about the possible identities of the suspects. Above all, Chief Holloway expressed his gratitude to the three Somerville victims for their courage and their cooperation with investigators despite the trauma they had suffered at the hands of their attacker.
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