Woman in wheelchair, 67, robbed, police say

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/06/23/woman_in_wheelchair_67_robbed_police_say/

A Brighton man was arrested late Monday after he allegedly robbed a 67-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair and then pushed her onto trolley tracks, according to police officials.

Jerdon Brooks, 48, was arrested after officers responded to the Mission Hill area about 11:40 p.m. Monday, according to Boston police. Brooks was charged with unarmed robbery and assault on a person 60 or older in allegedly stealing $10 from the victim while she was waiting for the Green Line trolley, police said. Police said Brooks then pushed her onto the tracks on Huntington Avenue.

“The charges here are particularly disturbing, because the victim was both an older adult and used a wheelchair,’’ said Jake Wark, spokesman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office. “It’s something that we take very seriously.’’

Officers from the Wentworth Institute of Technology police force responded after receiving a report of a woman screaming near Ward Street, according to the police report. Boston police and Transit Police were notified.

Several people were standing with the victim on the trolley tracks when officers arrived, police said. Trains were still in service at the time, and the victim was helped off the tracks by the witnesses, according to the police report.