SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - An 18-year-old man is facing assault and attempted kidnapping charges after being arrested in connection with a nighttime assault on a woman in Medford, according to authorities.
The Medford Police Department said Nature Moncoeur was arrested in Somerville on Tuesday morning, a week after authorities began investigating an assault that occurred on Royall Street, near Tufts University.
Police said a woman in her 20s was attacked in the area of Main and Royall streets while she was out for a walk on the night of July 2. According to Medford PD, a male suspect ran up to the victim and struck her several times after grabbing her from behind.
“After a brief struggle in which the woman was fighting back and screaming loudly, the suspect fled back down Royall Street toward College Avenue,” Medford PD stated in a news release at the time.
The police department later obtained and released nearby surveillance footage of a man they considered to be the assault suspect.
Moncoeur was taken into custody a few days later after authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest, according to an update from Medford PD, who thanked the Tufts Police Department as well as Somerville PD and the Somerville Housing Police Department for their assistance.
During his arraignment on Tuesday, the prosecution revealed that another person had come forward over the course of the investigation and told police she too had been followed by someone resembling Moncoeur a few days earlier.
“A second individual came forward, stated that five days earlier, on June 27, 2023, an individual matching the defendant’s description also followed her from the Stop & Shop,” said prosecutor Nieve Anjomi.
Officials said police pulled video from the separate incident and now believe the suspect is, in fact, the same person from the kidnapping attempt.
Moncoeur’s attorney would not let the suspect show his face in court. She also said the videos don’t show her client attacking anyone.
“There’s a strong identify defense in this case,” said attorney Sophie Rosen. “Essentially, there are two individuals who make two different descriptions of young men of color.”
Among others, Moncoeur’s sister sat in the courtroom on Tuesday listening to the details after Moncoeur was arrested at the apartment where he and his sister live together with their sick mother.
Moncoeur was ordered held on $500 cash bail. In the event that Moncoeur is released on bail, he would be fitted with a GPS bracelet and ordered to stay away from the alleged victims.
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