A Boston man, who was already on probation, has been charged in connection with two purse snatching incidents, with one particularly violent robbery leaving an older woman injured and in need of medical attention. According to a press release from Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, 33-year-old Justin Caterson faces charges of unarmed robbery and assault and battery on a person over 60.
Caterson was arraigned yesterday and is currently being held on $5,000 bail, as reported by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. The accused was previously guilty on charges for a series of car break-ins and vandalism, receiving a split sentence that included a six-month jail term followed by a probation period. Officers were quick to issue a probation warrant when Caterson was identified as the assailant in the recent crimes.
On the evening of February 22, Boston police were called to Tufts Medical Center where a woman reported she had been robbed at a bus stop, subsequently suffering from head pain. As per the victim's report, her purse—which contained IDs, various cards, a keychain, and a significant sum of cash—was forcibly taken from her. Video surveillance later reviewed by investigators captured two males at the scene, with one returning to grab the victim's purse, leading her to fall to the ground.
Still images extracted from the surveillance video helped investigators to soon recognize Caterson, who was arrested three days later in a similar incident. The suspect was reported to be wearing the same clothes and a GPS monitoring bracelet during the robberies. Further bolstering the case, GPS data positioned Caterson at the scenes of the crimes, leading to a warrant for his arrest as stated in the press release. Caterson was arraigned for the second incident on February 26, with bail set at $3,000.
In response to these events, District Attorney Hayden expressed the broader impacts of repeat offenders on the community. "We know that a disproportionately small sector of the population drives a disproportionately high percentage of crimes. Our neighborhoods feel the impact of these repeat offenders. I wish the victim in this incident a full recovery and I can assure her we will do everything possible to hold her assailant accountable," Hayden said in a statement as per the Suffolk County District Attorney website. Caterson is due back in court on Wednesday to face charges for both cases.
