Barnstable Police officers rushed to Guerra Jewelers on Bassett Lane in Hyannis around 3:55 a.m. on Halloween after a commercial alarm went off, and what they found led them straight to Boston’s Logan Airport within 24 hours. By Sunday morning, police say they had the suspect in handcuffs, jewelry in hand, just before he could board an international flight out of the country.
According to capecod.com, officers responding to the alarm found the store at 33 Bassett Lane in Hyannis had been forcibly entered. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators reportedly showed a suspect armed with a gun kicking in the store’s front door, smashing display cases, and stealing merchandise, as reported by Boston 25 News. The store’s owner later reported multiple gold and silver items missing, including chains, pendants, and rings.
Detectives Trace the Suspect to Logan Airport
Investigators identified the suspect as 34-year-old Diego Goncalves De Souza of Hyannis, the station’s report states. Barnstable detectives said they built their case using witness statements, surveillance footage, vehicle information, and jewelry believed to have been stolen in the break-in, then worked with Massachusetts State Police and airport authorities once they learned De Souza had booked an international flight and was attempting to leave the United States.
Those efforts paid off the following morning. Authorities located De Souza at Logan Airport on the morning of November 1, and he was taken into custody without incident before boarding his flight, per the same account. Detectives said they recovered multiple pieces of jewelry from De Souza and his belongings at the time of his arrest.
Charges Filed Ahead of Monday Arraignment
De Souza was charged with nighttime breaking and entering a building for a felony, larceny over $1,200, two counts of vandalizing property, and unlawful possession of a firearm, the outlet reports. Under the state law governing nighttime breaking and entering, the offense can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in state prison or up to two and a half years in a jail or house of correction, according to the text of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 16, though that statute does not determine what penalty applies in De Souza’s specific case.
Police said De Souza was held in custody over the weekend and was scheduled to be arraigned in Barnstable District Court on Monday. The incident remains under investigation, and further updates are expected as the case moves forward.
