Man Arrested In Robbery Of 12-Year-Old Boy In Newton
NEWTON (CBS) - The man accused of assaulting and robbing a 12-year-old boy in Newton earlier this week has been arrested.
The F.A. Day Middle School student was walking to his bus stop on Lexington Street Monday morning when he said a man armed with a large knife came up behind him and demanded his cell phone.
There was a struggle, the boy was thrown into the street and he dropped the phone. The man grabbed it and ran off. Classmates helped the boy who took the bus to school. He later went to Boston Children's Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
The suspect, Carlos Cruz-Aguilar, was arrested in Waltham Thursday night. Police released a surveillance video and sketch of the suspect earlier in the day.
After the attack, the boy's phone was found at a restaurant on Moody Street in Waltham. According to police, the suspect was seen at the restaurant just eight minutes after the attack. At one point he sits at a table holding what police say is the boy's cellphone apparently trying to use it.
"I'm sure the phone was locked as he tried to get into it. It was useless to him and he left the phone on the table," said Lt. Bruce Apotheker.
It was turned in by a customer giving police the break they needed to track his whereabouts.
Parents at the Day Middle School where the boy is a sixth grader say the incident has shaken both them and their children.
"They're curious how things will change," said Sue Membrino. "They're asking about walking to school and what will happen. It's something we're talking about."
Parent Frank D'Argento called it "nerve wracking."
Cruz-Aguilar will be arraigned Friday morning.
WBZ-TV's Beth Germano contributed to this report.
