Arrest Ended Steak of Robberies, More Charges Have Followed
The man arrested minutes after allegedly robbing Harrigan's Liquor Store last weekend has subsequently been charged in connection with two similar crimes in the weeks leading up to the Hamilton robbery.
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When Hamilton and Wenham police cornered a yellow Hyundai last weekend in front of Winthrop Elementary School and arrested the male passenger, they brought to an end a streak of drug-fueled hold-ups at North Shore stores in recent weeks.
Since Michael A. Gallella of Stoneham was arrested last Saturday in Hamilton in connection to the robbery of Harrigan's Liquors, he has been formally charged with similar robberies in Marblehead and Wakefield. And in Reading, many circumstances surrounding the robbery of P & S Convenient are similar too - from the description of the robber plus the use of a similar-looking knife and a getaway car that is much like Gallella’s Hyundai. While police said Gallella is a leading suspect, he has not been charged.
After a dangerousness hearing in Ipswich District Court on Thursday, Gallella will continue to be held without bail. Gallella is scheduled to return to court on March 22 for a probable cause hearing.
In Marblehead, it didn’t take long for police there to make the connection between the suspect arrested in Hamilton and the earlier robbery there. Last Sunday, they charged Gallella with armed robbery, armed assault with intent to rob and larceny over $250 for his alleged role in the Jan. 19 robbery of Beach Bluff Liquors on Humphrey Street in Marblehead, near the Swampscott town line.
Marblehead police sent a detective to the Middleton Jail to talk to Gallella, but he did not want to talk to police.
After obtaining a search warrant, Hamilton police searched Gallella’s car following his arrest. They found a black hooded sweatshirt, gloves and white sneakers that were all allegedly used in the Marblehead robbery.
On Wednesday, Wakefield police charged Gallella in connection with the armed robbery of Salem Variety Store in Wakefield on Jan. 17.
"Hamilton arrested him, and according to the photos they released, it seemed to match our guy," Wakefield Police Lt. Craig Calabrese told Wakefield Patch. "So we conducted further investigation over the last couple of days and we’ve determined this is the suspect from the Salem Street robbery."
The robberies appear to be driven by the need to meet a drug habit – at his arraignment last Monday prosecutors said Gallella is drug-dependent and a search of his vehicle after his arrest found evidence of drug use.
In This article
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Hamilton Police Department
265 Bay Rd, South Hamilton, MA -
Wenham Police Department
1 Friend Ct, Wenham, MA -
Winthrop Elementary School
325 Bay Rd, South Hamilton, MA -
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P & S Convenient
287 Lowell St, Reading, MA
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Beach Bluff Liquors & Seaview Specialty Baskets
260 Humphrey St, Marblehead, MA -
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Wakefield Variety Store
222 Salem St, Wakefield, MA -
Harrigan's Liquor Store
505 Bay Rd, South Hamilton, MA
