Police: Burglars smash into Lower Mills restaurant, steal safe, are stopped in Hyde Park forest

Boston Police report arresting one of the three men they say used a sledgehammer and crow bar to smash their way into Ester, 2261 Dorchester Ave. in Dorchester Lower Mills early Sunday.

Police say that after breaking in around 5:30 a.m., the three, all clad in hoodies, dragged "a large safe" out. The burglary was captured on video and police dispatchers sent out a BOLO.

At approximately 7:15 AM that same morning, an off-duty Boston Police officer on his way to work observed three males and two cars parked on the side of road near a marshy area on Enneking/Turtle Pond Parkway in [Stony Brook Reservation] in Hyde Park. One of the males appeared to be a “lookout” while the two other males struggled with a large object in the backseat of the vehicle parked close to the marshy waters. Based on the officer’s training and experience, as well as his knowledge of the area, the officer broadcast his location and observations and turned his vehicle around to further investigate. When the officer approached in full uniform, two of the males fled in a black vehicle while the third attempted to flee in the white vehicle with the large object in the backseat. The officer was able to block the white car from leaving, and as additional officers arrived, they apprehended the male without further incident.

Inside the white car, police say, officers found the safe and the "burglarious" tools used to break into the restaurant. Raheem Rivera, 18, of Dorchester, was charged with receiving stolen property, breaking and entering in the nighttime and, of course, possession of burglarious tools. The hunt continues for his alleged accomplices, police say.

Innocent, etc.