An Arlington man has been arraigned in connection with an attempted armed robbery, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said May 26. Jonas Moses-Gilson, 19, was arraigned in Somerville District Court on charges of armed assault with attempt to rob and assault with a dangerous weapon.Somerville District Court Judge Maurice Flynn ordered Moses-Gilson held pending a dangerousness hearing, set for May 28.

 

According to authorities, at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday, May 22, Cambridge and Somerville detectives were working together in the Elm Street area in Somerville when they observed a suspect approach a male subject who was walking on Elm. The suspect displayed a knife and held it near the victim’s throat.

Fearing for the safety of the victim, the detectives immediately moved in, causing the suspect to flee. A brief foot chase by Somerville and Cambridge Police ended inside the Porter Square MBTA station, where the defendant was apprehended, a press release from the district attorney's office said.

Somerville and Cambridge detectives, with assistance from the MBTA Transit Police and Harvard University Police, have been investigating a series of several armed robberies committed in both cities over the past month. These robberies shared a number of similar characteristics, and descriptions of the alleged perpetrator also showed similarities.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The prosecutor who handled the arraignment was Assistant District Attorney Anne Paruti.