Five teenagers have been arrested on unarmed robbery charges after a U.S. Postal Service worker was attacked last week in Medford, Massachusetts.
The letter carrier was assaulted after delivering mail to a home in the area of Arden Road on the morning of Oct. 31. The victim was hospitalized with significant injuries.
The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office said Thursday night that two adults and three juveniles had been charged with unarmed robbery. The suspects include 19-year-old Trevor Ray Kelley of Dunstable and 18-year-old Tyler Roberts of Lowell, as well as two 17-year-olds and a 15-year-old from Lowell.
Prosecutors say the investigation took a turn in the early morning hours of Nov. 2 when a car was stopped for speeding on South Street and Main Street. A backpack containing stolen mail and an arrow key, used for USPS mailboxes, was found, along with a loaded gun.
Police arrested all four people in the vehicle, including 18-year-old Randy Valdez, 18-year-old Jaeden Tucker, 18-year-old Samnang Tommy Jr Heng and an unnamed 15-year-old, all from Lowell. They all face firearm and larceny charges, the district attorney's office said.
Prosecutors say more charges may be forthcoming as the investigation continues.
Kelley and Roberts were arraigned Friday in Somerville District Court. Two of the juveniles are also expected to be arraigned Friday and one other on Tuesday.
Both Kelley and Roberts were released on conditions that include staying away from the alleged victim in this case.
There has been an uptick in mail thefts and attacks on postal workers in recent months. The spate has led the USPS to increase monetary rewards for information leading to arrests and convictions in such incidents.
"The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes the safety and security of USPS employees seriously and will spare no resource to bring to justice those who commit these heinous acts against Postal Service employees," Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward said in a statement after the Medford attack.
"I've been a carrier 37 years, and you never heard of these incidents happening," said John Fanning, vice president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 34 Boston. "It's just a horrible thing, it's sad to see it becoming the norm in our business now."
