By George P. Hassett

A 16-year-old Somerville boy who allegedly robbed and raped a store clerk at gunpoint on lower Broadway Sept. 16 was arrested by police Sunday night.

The boy, whose name police are not releasing because he is a juvenile, committed the “outrageous” rape against a clerk who was opening up for business at 7:15 a.m. on the Sunday morning in September said Acting Police Chief Robert R. Bradley. After the crime he fled on Broadway toward Sullivan Square with an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect had been described as a young black male, 16 to 19 years old, 5 foot 9 to 5 foot 10 wearing a black hooded sweat shirt, light color jeans, and clean cut.

Police were led to the boy after leads from Ward 1 Community Police Officer Neil Collins. Somerville Police Captain Paul Upton said detectives were able to gather sufficient information and evidence to obtain a court order that the juvenile suspect submit a sample of his DNA.  Detectives located the suspect Sunday afternoon and he agreed to come to the station accompanied by a parent to discuss this incident, police said. He was interviewed by detectives after which he was placed under arrest.  He will be formally charged in Cambridge Juvenile Court.

Bradley said citizens should feel more secure now that the boy is in police custody.

“The community should feel safer tonight knowing that the perpetrator of this outrageous crime has been captured. I want to thank the citizens and police officers who provided information, the detectives who worked diligently to solve this case and I especially want to praise the victim for her courage and patience throughout the investigation,” he said.