Chelsea Man Behind Bars for Assault on a Pregnant Woman

A Chelsea man was being held behind bars for a vicious attack on a pregnant woman and her boyfriend last month.

Miguel Rodriguez, 19, of Chelsea was arraigned in Chelsea District Court on charges of armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, armed robbery, and two counts of aggravated assault and battery. These charges stem from an incident were Rodriguez allegedly kicking a pregnant woman and stabbed her boyfriend so badly that the man needed more than 93 staples to close a wound on his back,

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Henry recommended that Rodriguez be held on $5,000 cash bail and that his open bail on an earlier case be revoked. Bail was set at half the requested amount, but a judge did revoke Rodriguez’ bail on the earlier case, which charges him with threats and witness intimidation.

At 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 17, Chelsea Police responded to the area of 419 Broadway for a report of a large fight. Officers arrived to find a man lying in the street in a pool of blood. That man – later identified as a 29-year-old Lynn resident – told them that he had been involved in a verbal argument with the defendant, who pulled a knife and stabbed him repeatedly. As the verbal argument became physical, the victim said several other assailants approached, beat him, and stole his wallet.

The victim was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital with stab wounds and lacerations to his face, arm, and back, with the latter injury requiring 93 staples to close.

Chelsea Police undertook an extensive series of interviews in the hours that followed, learning that the victim and his 23-year-old pregnant girlfriend were preparing to give a friend a ride home.

As they were getting ready to leave, the defendant – known to the victims as “Migi” or “Miguelito” – approached and confronted the friend. That sparked an argument that soon drew in the stabbing victim and his girlfriend.

Rodriguez allegedly yanked on the 23-year-old woman’s ponytail, threw her to the ground, and began kicking her. She told investigators that she looked up to see the defendant stabbing her boyfriend while two other assailants took part in beating him and taking his wallet. The pregnant woman was also transported to MGH. Her injuries were less serious.

During a search of the area, Chelsea Police recovered a folding knife that matched a description provided by the pregnant victim. Both victims were later able to identify Rodriguez from photo arrays presented by Chelsea Police detectives.

Chelsea Police obtained a warrant for Rodriguez’ arrest and took him into custody earlier this week. He was represented by attorney David Grimaldi and will return to court on Jan. 23.

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