Gas Leak

If anyone has seen the fire trucks and stuff on Bridge Street near West Ninth, it’s because there is a gas leak somewhere on West Ninth Street.
I talked to Deputy Fire Chief Cushing who said the leak isn’t bad enough to prompt evacuations, but it looks like the National Grid crews are going to have to do some digging to locate the exact source of the leak.
Expect to see crews in that area pretty late tonight.

Robbed with a Machete

Police are searching for a dark-blue Buick LeSabre believed to be the getaway car used by two while males who held up Jerry’s Food Store, 1172 Lawrence St., tonight a little before 9 p.m.
A machete was shown during the robbery, but I don’t have many more details yet.
Suspects are described as two white males. One wore a red stocking cap.
Anyone with information is asked to call Lowell police at 978-937-3200 or Crimestoppers at 978-459-TIPS (8477). Information can also be sent to police via Text-a-Tip, by texting TIP411 (847411) with the subject “LPDTIP.”
Tipsters can remain anonymous, but can receive up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Shots Fired – Grand Street

Police arrested Jonathan Deleon, 27, of Lowell, almost immediately early this morning after they got a call for gunshots on Grand Street about 3:48 a.m.
Someone reported that a man had walked out of a party on Grand Street and fired several gunshots into the air once he got outside.
Officers found DeLeon walking up the street, and just a few feet away from him was a loaded .357 with several spent shell casings still in the gun, along with several loaded ones.
DeLeon was held this weekend on charges of discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and disorderly conduct.
Police also arrested two people from Lewiston, Maine Sunday morning after getting a tip that they had firearms in the trunk of their car. They were pulled over on the Hunts Falls Rotary about 11 a.m., and officers found three rifles, a shotgun and a box of ammunition in the car.
Neither Norman Johnson, 39, nor Cynthia Parent, 46, had a license for the guns, so both were charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Johnson also had a warrant for a restraining order violation.
They too were held.
That’s five guns off the streets in the course of about 7 hours.

Shooting Arrest

Tonight detectives arrested a second man in connection with the Jan. 28 shooting of a 20-year-old Lowell man inside a Lakeview Avenue apartment.
The victim was found at Tedeschi Food Shop at 494 Bridge St., in Centralville, where he walked after being shot in the thigh.
Steven Cafeteiro, 21, of 349 Pawtucket St., Lowell, was arrested at his home tonight about 8:30 p.m.
Detectives had a warrant charging him with armed assault with intent to murder and home invasion.
Cafeteiro and David Simard, 20, of Lowell, are accused of forcing their way into an apartment on Lakeview Avenue and then shooting the 20-year-old in the thigh during a struggle. Court documents say Simard and Cafeteiro though the victim had robbed them.
After being shot, the victim locked himself in a closet until his attackers left, and then walked to Tedeschi.
Simard was arrested on the same charges early this month. He was initially held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing, but I’m not sure what happened at that hearing.

10 Shots Fired

Police got multiple 911 calls Wednesday night about 10 for shots fired at Cork and Dublin streets, and found 10 shell casings in a walkway between two houses on Dublin Street, but not a lot of damage.
A Chevy Malibu parked on Cork Street about 50 feet from the shell casings was the only thing anyone could find that was struck by bullets. Kind of amazing.

Two men, one in a white hoodie, and one dressed in black, were seen running from the scene toward Fenwick Terrace.
Police also found a pile of live rounds in the parking lot of St. Patrick’s Church at the other end of Cork Street. Not sure what the story was with that, whether someone with bullets fell down and lost them or what.
No one turned up at area hospitals and police didn’t find any victims during a search of the area. Not much more available on this one.
Would have updated last night but the blog was down for some reason – technical difficulties beyond my understanding.
Also, if you note that the map link shows Marion and LaGrange streets, that’s because those streets were renamed Cork and Dublin a few years ago, and Google apparently hasn’t updated their maps.