GUNSHOT THROUGH THE WINDOW
At 10:05 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25, Chelsea Police were called to the intersection of Addison and Eden Street following reports of gunfire and two males fleeing the scene. Upon investigation, officers found no one had been injured. They recovered ballistic evidence and detained two individuals matching descriptions of those who had run from the area, though their involvement remains under review.
According to neighborhood accounts, the ballistic evidence came from inside a residence on Orange Street.
Some residents reported being in the vicinity while shots were fired, unaware of the danger.
ESCORT SERVICE ROBBERY
An alleged internet-based prostitution operation that may have functioned as a robbery scheme has led to two arrests in Chelsea.
Officers dispatched at 10:11 p.m. on Thursday, November 26, to 40 Orange St. for an assault in progress discovered a 21-year-old Boston resident with serious facial injuries. The victim explained to police that he had been attacked and robbed inside a second-floor apartment by armed assailants carrying a gun and knife. According to his account, the attackers took his money and phone, and one struck him repeatedly with the firearm.
Police secured the building and entered the second-floor unit, where they found blood, a knife, and a disassembled firearm. They arrested the apartment’s tenant, Alexandria Vega, 31, and charged her with Armed Robbery and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon.
Concerned for the safety of other residents, officers also entered the third-floor apartment and discovered Brian Mercado, 21, of Revere, concealed in a closet. Mercado was taken into custody and charged with Armed Robbery, Breaking and Entering in the Night Time, and Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon. Investigators believe Vega had used a popular escort services website as part of what may have been a coordinated robbery operation targeting victims.
DA CLEARS OFFICERS IN 2014 TASER DEATH
Following his office’s inquiry into the death of Dominic Graffeo, who died after Chelsea Police deployed Tasers while he was barricaded in a rooming house, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley has concluded his investigation.
The death occurred on June 26, 2014. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause to be sudden death in a person with acute cocaine, ethanol, and oxycodone intoxication following an altercation with police involving the use of electronic control devices and physical restraints.
The officers’ conduct was deemed appropriate by Conley, who noted they had made considerable efforts to establish communication with Graffeo before employing force, ensured medical personnel were present, and used department-issued Tasers during the encounter.
Based on a thorough review of the facts and circumstances surrounding the police response and Mr. Graffeo’s death, I conclude that there is no evidence that would warrant criminal charges against the involved officers, who acted reasonably and lawfully,
Conley stated in his final report, which was released today to Graffeo’s family along with the complete investigative file.
The probe, directed by Assistant District Attorney Mark Zanini, found that around 8 p.m., a rooming house manager at 165 Hawthorne St. called police because Graffeo was going crazy
and smashing everything in [his] room.
Officers tried unsuccessfully to speak with Graffeo through his door but managed to view his second-story room from a ladder.
From their vantage point, officers saw Graffeo was highly agitated, perspiring heavily, and bleeding. Furniture and debris blocked his doorway. With firefighters’ assistance, officers forced entry and Graffeo began throwing objects at them.
One officer deployed a Taser after Graffeo failed to comply with commands to stop; he deflected one prong and the device proved ineffective. A second Taser deployment followed as Graffeo continued struggling and striking the officers attempting restraint. The first officer deployed a Taser again, allowing officers to gain control of his hands.
As officers cleared a path through the cluttered floor, they noticed Graffeo was in medical distress. They removed his handcuffs and initiated chest compressions. On-scene medical personnel performed CPR, administered Narcan, and transported him to Whidden Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. According to Conley’s statement, The officers made efforts to talk with Mr. Graffeo, to calm him, and to gain peaceful entry. They arranged to have medical personnel on scene. These decisions and actions reflect a conscientious and considered response.