Boston man charged with armed robbery, attacking employee
BOSTON, July 2, 2025 – A Boston man was charged yesterday in Dorchester BMC with robbing a furniture store while armed with a taser and striking an employee, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
NIRAEL SIMMONS-DAVIS, 29, of Boston is charged with armed robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon (taser), assault and battery, possession of class B drug (crack cocaine), and resisting arrest.
Judge Jonathan Tynes set bail at $1,000. Simmons-Davis is due back in court on July 29 for a probable cause hearing.
On June 30 around 11:15 a.m., Boston police responded to a radio call for a person with a gun at BD’s Furniture at 90 Washington Street in Dorchester. Officers canvassed a nearby area and observed an individual, later identified as Simmons-Davis, matching the suspect's clothing description and riding an electric scooter.
When officers attempted to cut Simmons-Davis off with their cruiser he began to flee. Officers managed to get him onto the ground and he grabbed at his waistband and violently resisted arrest.
Officers handcuffed Simmons-Davis and recovered a taser, loose cash, and one clear bag of crack cocaine from his person. He had no identifying documents and refused to identify himself. He later falsely identified himself as Samuel Davis.
The manager of BD’s later told officers that Simmons-Davis put several items from the store in a bag and tried to leave without paying. When confronted, Simmons-Davis pulled out a taser and pointed it at an employee. The manager and employees told officers that customers ran to the back of the store in fear. Simmons-Davis then assaulted an employee before leaving the store on the scooter.
Simmons-Davis has a Board of Probation record consisting of a firearm charge in 2019 and larceny and assault charges, for which he served time for, in 2016.
“The facts here point to an incident that directly affected quite a few people—store employees, managers, customers and police. We want workers to be safe in their workplaces and consumers to be safe in their shopping areas. This intolerable conduct is harmful in multiple ways, to the immediate victims and to the larger community,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications