Public safety report: Man fights off attackers in attempted armed robbery on the Riverwalk

An attempted robbery on the Riverwalk last week ended with the target fighting off his attackers.

On June 13 at 1:41 a.m., police responded to the Riverwalk path along the Charles River. The man who called in the incident was using the Riverwalk to get home from work when two men on e-bikes approached him. 

The men knocked the caller to the ground and tried to take his bag. They were armed with a box cutter. The caller was able to fight off both men, who got on their e-bikes and rode away. Police are investigating the incident.

A summary of additional police activity from June 10 to June 16 is as follows:

On June 11 at 1 p.m., police responded to reports of a scam at a residence on South Street. The caller said that he had received a phone call from someone representing themselves as “Apple security” who said that the man had an outstanding balance of $1,500 that needed to be paid in Apple gift cards. The caller ultimately paid the alleged balance before realizing it was a scam. Police are investigating the incident.

On June 11 at 2:57 p.m., police responded to reports of a larceny on Main Street. Someone had taken a prescription medication bottle from a man’s bag while he was at work. There are currently no leads on suspects.

On June 12 at 8:28 a.m., police responded to reports of a dagger with blood on it at a location on Charles Street. Police investigated and found a rusty kitchen knife, which they discarded.

On June 12 at 7:34 p.m., police responded to Drake Playground. A caller reported seeing a bag with white powder. Upon investigation, police found a popped exercise ball.

On June 14 at 1:54 p.m., police responded to a residence on Hibiscus Avenue. The caller said that a patio set valued at $300 was missing. A neighbor came forward and said he’d taken the patio set because he believed it had been put out for trash.

On June 15 at 1:54 p.m., police responded to the dog park on Metropolitan Parkway. Two parties using the dog park had a verbal dispute. Police spoke to all of the people involved.

On July 16 at 7:55 p.m., police responded to the Extended Stay Deluxe on Fourth Avenue. The call was reporting someone who owned thirty cats but was unable to care for them properly. The issue was referred to the Animal Control Officer.

All information was obtained from spokespeople with the Waltham Police department, the publicly available police blotter and police reports available at Waltham District Court.