Alleged serial knifepoint robber held without bail in Boston

A Mattapan man was ordered held without bail Wednesday in Boston after prosecutors said he committed a series of armed robberies in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain.

Akeem A. Lahens, 32, was arraigned in the Dorchester division of Boston Municipal Court on charges of armed robbery and three counts of kidnapping, according to a release from the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.

A judge deemed him dangerous and ordered him held without bail until a probable cause hearing on June 8.

According to the DA’s office, Boston police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Dunkin’ at 1508 Dorchester Ave. in Dorchester on May 4 around 8 p.m. The suspect, who authorities later identified as Lahens, had fled the scene before they arrived.

Prosecutors said the victims, all employees of the store, told police that the suspect ordered a sandwich and a drink before brandishing two large knives from his backpack, jumping over the counter, and demanding that one of the employees open the register.

Lahens allegedly said “If you don’t open the register, I’m going to kill you” and then ordered all three employees into the store’s bathroom.

One of the employees called 911 when they exited the bathroom, the DA’s office said.

Video surveillance, which showed Lahens pacing back and forth while watching the store’s entrance, and the descriptions given by victims matched the description of a suspect in multiple armed robberies over the past several weeks, prosecutors said.

Lahens is facing additional charges for similar incidents in Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, which also involved the use of two large knives, the DA’s office said.

“We’re judicious in our requests for dangerousness hearings but those hearings are important in instances like this,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “Our overarching goal is to protect the community. I am relieved that these victims were not physically hurt and this individual has been apprehended.”

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