Teen Arraigned In Connection With Attack Of Cambridge Woman

CAMBRIDGE – A Cambridge teen was arraigned in connection with an assault and armed robbery that left a woman partially blind this summer.

Isaias De La Rosa, 16, of Cambridge, was charged with armed assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, mayhem, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury. He was ordered held without bail Wednesday in Cambridge Juvenile Court as a youthful offender in connection with an alleged July 13 assault.

On Saturday, July 13 around 10:40 p.m., a woman in her early 30s, was walking home from the Kendall Square MBTA station to her apartment. While walking on the Loughrey Walkway, she was on her cellphone and she observed a young man on a BMX-style bicycle on the path behind her. She moved over to allow him to pass. But instead of passing, the teen set his bike down and came up behind her and hit her in the back of the head with an unknown sharp object, according to police.

Hearing her scream, the man she had been having a conversation with over the phone dialed Cambridge Police who arrived moments later, according to authorities. When police got there, they found the woman knocked unconscious. Her left eye was swollen shut, and she had visible lacerations on her face, both over her eye and on her forehead, according to the District Attorney's office.

The woman was transported to a hospital in serious condition, and underwent multiple surgeries and has subsequently permanently lost vision in her left eye.

That night, authorities were able to find surveillance footage showing De La Rosa following the woman and then riding off on his bicycle with the woman's purse following the reported assault. Shortly after, a Cambridge Police officer saw the young man near the spot where the woman was found.

Police interviewed him and got a warrant to search his home. They found a bicycle matching the one the man was seen riding in the back yard of his apartment building, along with clothing seen on the video. Police said they found the woman's property in a nearby trash barrel.
The teen was also found to be in possession of a double-edged knife, police said.

De La Rosa was arraigned in Cambridge Juvenile Court on July 15 and indicted as a youthful offender on Sept. 19. The next scheduled hearing in this case is October 23.

16-Year-Old Arrested After Woman Attacked In Cambridge ...

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).