Brookline police arrest juvenile in connection with string of armed robberies near BU

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

Police have arrested a juvenile suspect in connection with two of the recent armed robberies in Brookline near the Boston University campus, authorities said Thursday night.

Brookline police said in a statement that the juvenile, whom they did not identify, voluntarily turned himself in to department headquarters on Thursday, accompanied by his lawyer. He is being charged with armed robberies that occurred on Sept. 25 and Oct. 5, police said.

“This case is being actively investigated in an effort to apprehend the other two individuals who are also believed to be involved in these crimes,” the statement said.

The arrest came one day after BU offered a $10,000 reward for tips leading to an arrest and conviction for those robberies and two others. All four incidents occurred between Sept. 23 and Tuesday.

Brookline police Lieutenant Philip Harrington, a department spokesman, had no word Thursday night on whether the juvenile could face additional charges or if the reward offer played any role in his apprehension.

Authorities had also released surveillance video footage on Wednesday of three young men suspected in one of the robberies, which occurred on Friday. Most of the victims in the four cases were current BU students.

“We’re very pleased to see that at least one of the suspects” is in custody, said Colin Riley, a university spokesman, in a brief phone interview on Thursday night.

In each case, the robbers were described as either two or three black males in their late teens or early 20s wearing sweatshirts. The suspects had either shown or pointed a gun at the victims.

In the most recent case, a ­female BU student said she was robbed Tuesday around 8:30 p.m. while walking along Common­wealth Avenue in front of a campus academic building, according to Brookline police.

Authorities said the student told them two black males in their late teens walked up to her. One pointed a gun in her face, put his hand on her shoulder, and said, “Don’t move or I’ll shoot,” she told police.