A violent home invasion on Chapel Street in Norwood, Massachusetts sent three teenagers running from police on Sunday afternoon, ending with all three in custody after a search that stretched from the railroad tracks to a nearby neighborhood. Police say the suspects, ages 15, 16 and 17, pistol-whipped a resident and made off with several items before officers converged on the area.
A 2:10 p.m. Call Sets Off a Manhunt
Norwood police responded to the home on Chapel Street around 2:10 p.m. Sunday for a reported home invasion and armed robbery, according to NBC Boston. The victim told police that three people broke into the home, pistol-whipped them and stole several items, the station reported. Two of the three suspects were wearing masks during the break-in, and the victim said the firearm used was fitted with a green laser.
Police also said one of the three suspects was known to the victim, per the same account. Officers who fanned out across the area searched the railroad tracks and the Washington Street area as part of the response, according to Boston 25 News.
One Suspect Caught Near the Train Station
Officers found one suspect on the railroad tracks and caught up with him at the Norwood Central train station, the station's report states. The other two suspects weren't far behind — a Norwood Police Public Safety Aide spotted them on the department's traffic camera system near Washington Street and Walnut Avenue, according to the same account from NBC Boston.
Those two suspects ran when officers approached, fleeing on foot into the Press Avenue area, but were eventually taken into custody, per Boston 25 News. The outlet reported that the pair was taken into custody at gunpoint. No injuries were reported by authorities during the arrests.
A Resident's Find Helps Build the Case
As the search played out, a resident who lived in the area the suspects ran through found a handgun and loaded magazine on the ground and turned them over to police, the NBC Boston report noted. Officers separately recovered a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun and a magazine loaded with nine rounds of ammunition, according to Boston 25 News.
Westwood, Foxborough and Sharon police departments sent officers and K9 teams to help search the area for additional weapons, per the same Boston 25 News account. Investigators say they also recovered the property stolen from the victim, along with a green laser attachment for a firearm found inside a backpack the suspects were carrying.
Charges and What Comes Next
The suspects were identified only by their ages — 15, 16 and 17 — and were not publicly named. Boston 25 News reported that the teens are from Boston. NBC Boston reported that each will be charged with home invasion, armed assault in a dwelling and possession of a firearm, while Boston 25 News reported the charges as including home invasion, robbery, conspiracy and firearm possession, according to police.
Under Massachusetts' juvenile justice process, district attorneys review delinquency filings from police and determine whether to formally bring charges forward in court, with charges issued against a youth at arraignment, according to the Massachusetts government's overview of the juvenile justice system. Police say the incident remains under investigation.
