Pair Arrested After Attack On Elderly Woman In Quincy
QUINCY (CBS) - Police have arrested two people in connection with a violent attack on a 92-year-old woman.
Kayla Noel-Brown, 26, of Quincy and Markell Cruz, 27, of Somerville are accused of knocking down and robbing Doris Prendiville as she was walking to get a newspaper on Nov. 19. The attack sent Prendiville to the hospital with a fractured sternum.
Both Noel-Brown and Cruz are charged with unarmed robbery of an elderly person, assault and battery on an elderly person, and conspiracy. Both were being held on bail, according to police. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Quincy District Court.
Prendiville was returning from her normal Sunday morning walk to buy the newspaper at a nearby CVS when she was knocked over by a man who grabbed her purse.
"It's violent, he didn't hold back," said Quincy Police Lt. John Steele. "She went right down, things go flying up in the air. It's very disturbing."
Her purse was found next to a nearby dumpster with $30 stolen.
As police began to gather surveillance video from the area, they quickly noticed a mystery woman hugging the elderly victim in the lobby of the building.
Shortly before noon on Saturday, Trooper Joseph Gray, a member of the Massachusetts State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, was traveling on Massachusetts Avenue in Boston when he saw a man and a woman walking toward the intersection with Northampton Street.
Gray recalled seeing a photo of apparently the same woman on a Quincy Police social media page, where she was featured as a suspect involved in the attack on Prendiville.
Gray reversed his direction at the next intersection to get a closer look at the woman. After noting a strong resemblance to the suspect photo, he exited his cruiser and approached the pair.
The woman identified herself as "Nancy Brown" of Quincy, according to State Police. Gray contacted Quincy Police and then asked for a photo of the assault suspect. The photo of the suspect, Noel-Brown, matched the woman stopped by Gray, who then arrested the pair after police determined that both were involved in the Nov. 19 assault.
