ARRESTED FOR KIDNAPPING, ROBBING
On Monday, March 20, Chelsea Police took Jorge Beltran, 18, of Chelsea into custody on charges of Impersonating a Police Officer, Kidnapping and Robbery. Beltran is suspected of breaking into multiple vehicles in Everett near the Chelsea border over the weekend, including a vehicle belonging to a Chelsea police captain. A police badge and radio were among the items reported stolen from the officer’s car.
A Chelsea resident filed a report at the police station on Sunday evening, March 19, at around 7:20 p.m. The resident reported being robbed by someone claiming to be a police officer who showed a badge. According to the victim’s account, he was taken to a basement in a multifamily residence where he was robbed of his phone and cash.
Video footage from city surveillance cameras allowed Chelsea investigators to capture images of Beltran and the victim together. Officers recognized Beltran from these images and arrested him at 8:44 a.m. on March 20. The arrest led to the recovery of the stolen police badge, police radio, and additional evidence connected to vehicle break-ins in Everett.
The investigation is ongoing with Chelsea and Everett detectives collaborating on the case.
EVERETT MAN ARRAIGNED IN PEDESTRIAN DEATH
Last week, an Everett man appeared in court facing charges related to a fatal drunk driving incident. He is accused of striking and killing 25-year-old Marco Salguero-Cruz in Chelsea during the summer and subsequently fleeing both the scene and the country.
Jose Daniel Arevalo, 34, was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident causing death charges. The charges stem from the June 4, 2016, hit-and-run crash that resulted in Salguero-Cruz’s death. Following a request from Assistant District Attorney Michael Glennon, Clerk Magistrate Edward Curley established bail at $150,000 and mandated that Arevalo undergo GPS monitoring, remain confined to his home, and surrender his passport if released on bail. Since his arrest in Dallas, Texas, on Dec. 1, Arevalo has been held in custody.
According to prosecution records, Salguero-Cruz was struck by a silver Toyota Camry on June 4, 2016, near Washington Street in Chelsea. He succumbed to his injuries at Massachusetts General Hospital after the vehicle’s operator left the scene.
State Police detectives working with Conley’s office and Chelsea Police detectives obtained surveillance camera footage showing the vehicle leaving a Washington Street bar parking lot at high speed and subsequently departing the crash area. Footage before the collision showed the vehicle with two working headlights, while footage after the crash revealed only one functioning headlight.
Using resources from Conley’s Forensic Multimedia Lab and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Digital Evidence Lab, investigators recovered and enhanced previously-deleted footage from a private security camera. The enhanced images of the alleged driver were released to media and the public in November, prompting someone who knew Arevalo to contact investigators after recognizing him. Through witness statements, social media, and Registry of Motor Vehicles records, investigators independently confirmed Arevalo’s identity, prosecutors stated.
Additional footage showed Arevalo consuming four beers and six shots at the Washington Street bar over approximately 2.5 hours before the fatal crash, according to prosecutors.
Two days after the crash, Arevalo allegedly traveled to El Salvador. He later returned to the United States and was apprehended in Texas by Texas Rangers executing a Massachusetts warrant that had been obtained by Chelsea and State police.