Three men are facing kidnapping and robbery charges after preventing a 14-year-old from exiting an MBTA train, assaulting him and stealing his cell phone last week, authorities say.
Michael Cole, 23, of Boston, Derrick Eures, 25, of Dedham, and Nathan Moorewhite Jr., 19, of Dorchester, are all charged with kidnapping, armed and masked robbery and disorderly conduct on public conveyance, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's Office.
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“All forms of bullying and violence are intolerable, but this conduct toward a 14-year-old boy is particularly deplorable," Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
The arrests stemmed from an incident on the afternoon of March 7, when MBTA Transit Police on patrol in the Forest Hills Station were approached by three youths who said their friend had been robbed while on the train.
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The youths said they had boarded an Orange Line train at Roxbury Crossing Station heading toward Forest Hills Station when three unknown men, all wearing black face masks, began harassing them and threatening to beat them up. As the youths attempted to exit the train at the next stop, the man grabbed one of their friends and pulled him back onto the train, stealing his cellphone.
The 14-year-old victim exited the train at Stony Brook Station and was able to contact his friends and tell them that the men has stolen his cellphone. His friends told him to meet them at Forest Hills Station to report the incident to police, but he decided to go home.
Investigators later met with the victim, who told them that while on board the train, a man threatened to beat him up while making gestures as if he had a weapon. The victim said two other men assaulted him and took his phone, removing his phone case and handing him his CharlieCard, which was on the back of his case.
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Video surveillance obtained by investigators showed the first man approach the youths on the train. As they tried to get off at Jackson Square Station, the two other man grabbed the victim by his backpack, turned him around and forcefully pulled him back onto the train car. They then slammed him against the opposite train car door.
After taking the victim's cellphone, the first man is seen placing his hand into his sweatshirt, extending his hand while in the pocket and pressing his hand up against the victim's abdomen. The victim is seen with both hands up in the video.
Shortly after 7 p.m. on that same day, transit police saw three men matching the descriptions seen on video and given by witnesses at Forest Hills Station. The men, later identified as Cole, Eures and Moorewhite, were all placed under arrest.
Investigators said they recovered the victim's cell phone from Moorewhite's possession. Cole already had an outstanding warrant out of Boston Municipal Center.
All three men were arraigned Monday in Boston Municipal Court and ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Thursday. At the Thursday hearing, a judge found all three men dangerous and released them on GPS monitoring with home confinement. They were all ordered to stay away from MBTA public transportation while their cases are ongoing. They are scheduled to return to court on May 20 for probable cause hearings.
