Five arrested at Stoneham High School, weapons seized, no one hurt
Published on February 16th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - Five young men were arrested after a botched, armed ambush at Stoneham High School on Feb. 8.
A school fistfight led to an armed attempt at vengeance, but High School staff and Stoneham Police thwarted the effort. All suspects were arrested, and no one got hurt.
Stoneham High School student Christophe Tardo, 17, of 65 North St. was arrested and charged with making threats to commit crimes, receiving stolen property over $250, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon and receiving stolen property less than $250.
Uzi Lima, 18, of 13 Flint St. in Somerville was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and trespassing.
A 16-year-old Somerville youth was arrested and charged with assault, assault with a dangerous weapon and trespassing.
Douglas Moreira, 22, of 17 Sewall St. in Somerville was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of illegal drugs and trespassing.
Wendell Santos Alves, 18, gave his address as the Tardo's home on 65 North St. He was arrested and charged with assault, assault with a dangerous weapon and trespassing.
According to Police Detective George Alger, Tardo returned to school grounds around 2 p.m. with his four friends. They were traveling in a Honda and were armed with a rusty machete, a stolen Samurai sword, a large kitchen knife, a wooden club, an aluminum baseball bat and two flare guns spray-painted black to look like revolvers.
According to the police report, Alves, the boyfriend of Tardo's sister, offered to get some friends together to go down to the school. The group was waiting after school for the student who had fought Tardo earlier that day.
Tardo forgot or did not know that school policy sends both combatants of any fight home. The youth Tardo and friends were allegedly looking for was home watching cartoons.
But they were there and they were armed, so they decided to chase a friend of the student who had beaten up Tardo. The student ran around the school, yelling, "He's got a gun." He had seen one of the starter pistols.
Coach Al Lanni was in the area. He heard the student yelling and began chasing after the armed mini-mob. Tardo and friends were intimidated by the veteran football coach; they turned and ran back to their car and sped off.
The suspects turned right on Franklin Street and then took a quick right into the Villa Grande apartments at 157 Franklin St.
"With the help of people in those apartments we were able to catch all the suspects," Detective Alger said.
He credited the good police work of Lt. Gregory O'Keefe, Sgt. Robert Swasey, Officer Robert McKinnon, Officer Kenneth Wilkins, Officer David Stefanelli, Officer Rene Lehmann and Officer Daniel Bates.
Police made the arrests at 2:48 p.m. Feb. 8.
The suspects were arraigned in Woburn District Court on Feb. 9. The case was continued until March 22.
Per established procedures, the school department did not release student names or information about disciplinary action. Nor has any statement been sent home to parents.
In other police news:
oStoneham Police are investigating a threat made against a Stoneham teen by a Woburn teen two weeks ago.
The Woburn teen had a gun, police said. Police were tipped off that something could happen between these individuals after the Feb. 11 basketball game at Stoneham High School. Police surrounded the area, but nothing happened.
"We are watching this situation," Detective Alger said.
oOfficer Joe Ponzo pulled over a car on Main St. on the evening of Feb. 14 and ended up recovering a car stolen out of Weymouth and making an arrest.
Ponzo arrested Robert Taylor, 32, of Warren Ave. in Malden, the driver and alleged thief, after a brief foot chase.
Officers Wilkins and Norton assisted with the arrest.
Taylor had several other warrants for his arrest, but he did not have a license.
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