On August 18th, 2016, I (Officer Devin Schneider) was in full uniform while assigned to the Assembly Row unit in marked cruiser 660. The following report is a summary of events that I witnessed that day, as it pertains to incident #16051162:

 

At approximately 7:30 pm I was contacted by Home Depot Asset Protection Manager (APM) XXXXX. Home Depot is located at 75 Mystic Avenue in Somerville. I learned from XXXXX that he was currently watching an employee from his store named Daniel Young. XXXXX had knowledge that Mr. Young had been carting large amounts of merchandise out of the loading dock without paying for it, and loading it onto the trucks of various persons he met outside the store. Currently, Mr. Young had staged a large amount of merchandise at the side loading dock for a delivery, consistent with the pattern of the previous thefts. Mr. Young had then left the store, and was walking around in the vicinity of Assembly Square.

 

I went to the Assembly Row security office, where I was able to locate Mr. Young, based on the description given to me by XXXXX, through the security surveillance cameras. Mr. Young was pacing back and forth in front of Kmart, talking on his phone. After some time, I observed Mr. Young leave the area, while continuously manipulating his cell phone. Training and experience led me to believe that Mr. Young was coordinating a plan to meet someone. Mr. Young began to walk in the direction of Home Depot, and I informed XXXXX.

 

XXXXX maintained surveillance of Mr. Young as he returned to Home Depot, and met with a male party in a black Toyota Tundra. XXXXX informed me that Mr. Young and the second party began to load merchandise into the back of the truck, making no attempt to pay for the merchandise. I responded to Home Depot, where I assisted XXXXX and YYYYY with stopping the two suspects. The second male loading merchandise into his truck was identified as Beram Sharwani. Among the merchandise was a large amount of moldings, lumber, ladders and power tools, and a bath faucet. I was joined shortly by Officer Cassandra Goncalves (East-4), and we escorted the males back to the Asset Protection Office.

 

Mr. Sharwani and Mr. Young were placed in separate rooms. I first spoke with Mr. Young. I informed him that he was a suspect in a crime, and I read him his rights pursuant to Miranda from a pre-printed card. Mr. Young stated that he understood his rights, had not taken any alcohol or drugs, and held a high school level education. Mr. Young stated that at the time he would feel more comfortable talking to XXXXX alone. I left the room to allow XXXXX and Mr. Young a chance to speak.

 

I next spoke with Mr. Sharwani. I informed him that he was a suspect in a crime, and I read him his rights pursuant to Miranda from a pre-printed card. Mr. Sharwani stated that he understood his rights, had not taken any alcohol or drugs, and held a high school level education. Initially Mr. Sharwani stated that he did not wish to speak with me. However, as we sat in the room together waiting for XXXXX to conclude his interview, Mr. Sharwani answered a few questions. Mr. Sharwani stated that he was helping a friend build a house, which is why he needed the building supplies and tools. Mr. Sharwani further stated that he had become acquainted with Mr. Young on a website known as: Offer Up. I would note: Offer Up is an application used buying and selling, similar to Ebay. Mr. Sharwani stated that he could not produce a receipt for the merchandise.

 

At the conclusion of the interview, XXXXX provided me with a hand written and signed statement from Mr. Young. In the statement, Mr. Young admits to stealing the merchandise and loading it onto the truck. Mr. Young further states that he has done this in the past, for a total amount of around $10,000-$30,000.

 

XXXXX stated to me that Mr. Young had said during the interview that he had been receiving texts from the contractors about the merchandise they needed. Mr. Young would then collect the merchandise and stage it. Mr. Young had an agreement with the contractors that if they paid him half the value of the merchandise in cash, he would meet them at the side dock and help load the merchandise into their truck.

 

I placed Mr. Young and Mr. Sharwani under arrest, handcuffing them in a manner consistent with my training and double locking the handcuffs. The two suspects were transported back to the Somerville Police Station in prisoner transport unit 200, operated by Officer Kevin Goulart. At the police station, the suspects were booked in the usual manner by the Commanding Officer, Lt. Jeffrey Digregorio.

 

YYYYY generated a receipt to reflect the total value of the stolen merchandise: $2,784.21. I will be seeking the following charges in violation of M.A. General Law:

 

Ch. 266 / S. 30: Larceny Over $250

Ch. 274 / S. 7: Conspiracy to Commit Larceny

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Officer Devin Schneider

Badge #295