Boston man to serve state prison time for South Bay Mall larceny and assault on police officer
BOSTON, June 17, 2026 – A Boston man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Suffolk Superior to charges related to a larceny that ended in a violent confrontation with police where he bashed an officer’s head into a windshield, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
STEVEN ZAMOT, 34, was charged with one count of unarmed carjacking, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one count of assault and battery on a police officer, and one count of larceny from a building.
Judge Mark Hallal sentenced Zamot to three to four and a half years in state prison for the larceny, carjacking, and assault, and an additional two years in the House of Correction to be served concurrently for the assault on a police officer.
Zamot has a 20-page criminal record dating back to 2009.
On September 25, 2025, Zamot stole $40 worth of merchandise from the T.J. Maxx in the South Bay Mall. On the way out of the store, Zamot stated to loss prevention employees, “call the cops, I’ll just get released.” Zamot had been trespassed from T.J. Maxx prior to this incident.
Boston Police responded to the scene and saw the stolen merchandise in Zamot’s hands. While officers were detaining him, Zamot punched an officer with a closed fist and jumped into her marked cruiser. Zamot then attempted to operate the vehicle and continued to assault the officer, bashing her head against the windshield of the cruiser. Officers removed Zamot from the vehicle, but he fled on foot. Zamot was arrested a short distance away near New Market station. The officer was evaluated by EMS and transported to a local hospital for neck and back pain.
Hayden’s office, the Boston Police department, regional retailer groups and small business owners in 2024 launched the Safe Shopping Initiative, an effort to increase consumer safety and help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies. The initiative formed amid increasing national and local frustrations around retail crime, along with concerns over the closure of several pharmacies serving minority communities in Boston. The Safe Shopping Initiative uses a mixture of diversionary measures, court-mandated conditions such as stay-away orders, and traditional prosecutions to keep shoppers and workers safe in retail settings.
“This case represents an extreme example of a retail-based crime turning violent, and incarceration is appropriate. But while a sentence is justified here, we are committed to using non-incarceration approaches whenever appropriate to address the root causes of why people commit retail-based crimes,” 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. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications