Square Sees Stabbing, Robbery in Past Five Weeks

A man was stabbed in the neck by an assailant in the vicinity of Brattle and Church Street around 11:25 p.m. on Jan. 2. Numerous witnesses were present and reported a detailed description of the suspect to the Cambridge Police Department, which quickly apprehended the suspect.

The suspect, Michael Prince, 24, was arrested for armed assault to murder. Prince, who lives in Cambridge, had previously been arrested for drug possession in 2009.

In addition to the stabbing, one unarmed robbery and several thefts were reported to the Harvard University Police Department in the past five weeks while students were away from campus. That number is a significant drop in the number of robberies and attempted robberies around Harvard’s campus since an increase in robberies and attempted robberies in the area during November.

On Dec. 22, HUPD officers responded to an individual riding a bicycle who had just stolen another individual’s bag. Officers arrested the individual riding the bicycle on Mill Street in front of Winthrop House after a brief foot chase.

There were also several reports of items being stolen from University buildings, including the athletic centers, during the past five weeks.

A theft occurred on Jan. 5 at Hemenway Gymnasium of an unattended ring valued at $5,000. Two Apple iPhones and a total of $50 in cash were stolen from locked lockers in the Malkin Athletic Center on Jan. 20. Another locker was tampered with but no items were taken.

Two Apple MacBooks were also stolen from the Loeb Drama Center on Jan. 15.

The number of robberies for the entire city of Cambridge between Jan. 1 and Nov. 29, 2009 and the same period in 2010 has decreased by 13.9 percent. More recent data is not available as the Cambridge Police Department has not yet released the BridgeStat crime data analyses—a monthly public report on crime, traffic, and disorder issues—for the month of December.

Another assault, which involved a man “struggling” with another male on JFK Street, occurred on Jan. 11. The individual alledgedly involved in the assault was later captured on Brattle Street by Cambridge police and HUPD.

According to the same November BridgeStat report, the number of aggravated assaults in Cambridge has remained the same for the period between Jan. 1 and Nov. 29 from 2009 to 2010.

—Staff writer Kerry M. Flynn can be reached at kflynn@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.