Police Investigate Late-Night Robberies Near Davis Square

Somerville police have made arrests in connection to one late-night armed robbery near Davis Square, and they're still investigating two other robberies that happened nearby. All three robberies took place over the course of a week.

Somerville police also issued a public alert Friday, asking residents in the area to be aware of their surroundings and take precautions when walking late at night.

The robberies took place on July 13, 18 and 19, according to Deputy Chief Paul Upton of the Somerville Police Department.

Police arrested three people in connection to the July 18 robbery, in which two victims were held up at gunpoint, according to allegations in a police report.

The report says the victims were in their car on Cottage Avenue at about 1:15 a.m. when three young men approached their car. One brandished a gun and said, "Give me your money," victims told police, according to the report. The victims thought at least one of the other young men also had a gun, and the suspects took the victims' money, cell phones and a can of Altoids, the report says.

Police found and arrested the suspects, Jonathan Franklin, 20, Bradley Sylvestre, 19, and Jean Sainttrile, 18, at a nearby 7-Eleven on Massachusetts Avenue, in Cambridge, according to the report.

The other two robberies, which were still under investigation as of Monday morning, happened closer to Tufts University.

On July 13, three males conducted a robbery at about 10:40 p.m. near the intersection of Powder House Boulevard and Leonard Street, according to Upton.

On July 19, three young men were robbed on Walker Street at around 1:15 a.m. by eight to ten other young men, Upton said. In that incident, there had been an altercation among the victims and suspects earlier in the night, he said.

Neither of those robberies involved weapons, according to Upton.

Upton said the robberies are not thought to be connected, although "we're not ruling it out." Leonard and Walker streets are on the same block near Tufts University and Powder House Rotary.

"The pattern seems to be late night, and we haven't seen that in a long time," the deputy chief said.

He noted that thousands of people move through the Davis Square area every day, and he asked that people "use a little common sense" when walking at night.

You can find out more about what precautions to take here.

Upton also said Somerville police have been working with Tufts University police in the investigation.