The following information was provided by the Watertown Police Department.
Arrest
April 16, 12:46 a.m.: A caller reported seeing a vehicle being driven erratically on the 200 block of Arsenal Street at about 12:27 a.m. Police responded and located a vehicle matching the caller’s description a few minutes later on the 500 block of Main Street, but when they attempted to pull him over, the driver sped away. He was located a short time later pulled over on Grove Street in Waltham. The driver admitted to consuming alcohol before driving, and he showed signs of intoxication, including emitting a strong odor of alcohol. Police discovered he had a license suspended for an OUI and already had two prior OUI charges. The man failed field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. When he was at the Police Station, the man threatened an officer while he was being booked. The 26-year-old Belmont faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol — third offense, driving with a suspended license for an OUI, failing to stop for police, speeding, and a threat to commit a crime.
Incidents
April 13, 4:05 p.m.: A vehicle parked was broken into inside the garage at Elan Union Market apartments on Arsenal Street. A wallet with $200 in cash and three credit cards inside were taken from the vehicle, as well as, a Northface backpack. The credit cards were later used fraudulently at two places in Watertown. The resident parked his 2012 Tacoma on the third floor of the parking garage at 4:30 p.m. on the 11th, and discovered someone had entered his vehicle at 4 p.m. on the 12th. The vehicle was unlocked. Police are investigating.
April 13, 4:10 p.m.: A resident from Orchard Street discovered she was missing four smartphones. She had bought the iPhone 11s and kept them in her closet. The resident suspect the thefts occurred between March 4 and April 6. She found out when she was notified by Verizon that she had a bill for $1,700. When she went to look for the phones, they were missing from the closet. The last time she saw the phones was the end of February, and they are valued at $1,100 each. There were no signs of a break in. Police are investigating.
April 14, 5 a.m.: Police responded to American Check Cashing at 113 Mt. Auburn St. when a person passing by noticed that a window at the business was broken. Officers found a glass window pane at the front entrance of the building had shattered. It did not appear that anyone had entered the building. The owner responded to the store, and confirmed that everything inside was accounted for. Police noted that there was severe weather the night before, and that may have been a cause, or could have been an act of vandalism.
April 15, 4 p.m.: A man came into CVS on Main Street and stole six large bottles of Tide detergent. The manager said the shoplifter put the bottles in two plastic bags and walked out of the door without paying. The suspect was wearing dark clothing and a surgical mask. Police are investigating.
April 15, 4:44 p.m.: Police responded to Stop & Shop Watertown Street after two men got into an altercation. The argument began after one of the males, a 29-year-old from Newton, thought that the other was standing too close to his 54-year-old mother while shopping at Stop & Shop. The man said his mother has underlying health issues, which are a concern due to COVID-19. When the second man, a 26 year-old from Waltham, began speaking to the mother, the son took exception because of the mother’s health issues. The two men got into an argument led to a minor physical altercation. The argument was broken up before police got there, and there were no serious injuries. Both were advised they could seek a complaint at Waltham District Court. The men said they were satisfied and left without incident.
April 16, 7:56 a.m.: A driver parked at Olympic Movers on Bridge Street. After arriving the owner exited his vehicle and noticed the interior of car was filling with smoke. He called 911 and the Fire Department responded. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire. It appeared to have started with an electrical issue with the car’s wiring. The estimated damage to the 2011 Toyota was $3,000.
April 18, 11 a.m.: An Adams Street resident came out in the morning and noticed a vehicle was missing. The 2012 Subaru Outback was parked in the driveway on the 17th at about 9 p.m., and the owner noticed it was missing at about 10:45 a.m. the next day. The car had been left unlocked, and the resident said it was likely the valet key was inside the vehicle. On April 22, police were alerted that the vehicle was locate in Chelsea. It had sustained heavy front end damage. Police are trying to identify a suspect.
April 19, 11:50 a.m.: Four vehicles parked on Melendy Avenue had been broken into overnight. They had been rummaged through, but nothing was reported missing from any of the vehicles. All had been left unlocked.
I hope the two men who got into the fight over Covid-19 concerns were following the appropriate physical distancing mandates.