$10k bail for Boston man charged with armed carjacking

BOSTON, November 21, 2023 – A Boston man with two open larceny cases was arraigned today in East Boston District Court for holding a gun against another man’s back and driving off with his car last month, Suffolk District Attorney said.

RICARDO ENCARNACION, 29, is charged with armed carjacking with a firearm. Judge Joseph Griffin ordered Encarnacion held on $10,000 bail. Encarnacion is due back in court on December 12 for a pre-trial hearing.

At about 7:15 p.m. on October 22, Boston police responded to Saratoga Street in East Boston and spoke to the caller, who said he was just robbed at gunpoint and his vehicle had been stolen. The victim told police he agreed to meet a man in the parking lot of 1150 Saratoga Street to sell him sneakers. When the victim arrived, an unidentified male wearing all black asked to see the sneakers. While the victim was opening his trunk, a white vehicle pulled up next to them and another unidentified male wearing a ski mask and vest approached the victim and pointed what the victim thought was a gun against the victim’s back.

As the victim stepped away, he observed what appeared to be a black and silver firearm. The unidentified man with the firearm pulled the car keys from the victim and jumped into the victim’s vehicle and drove toward Orient Heights train station at a high rate of speed. The other individual took off in the white vehicle. The victim told police he recognized the voice and general appearance of the armed male as someone he only knew as “Lu” because he had sold him sneakers on several occasions.

Officers broadcasted the victim’s license plate number and descriptions of the two men. Officers were able to locate the victim’s vehicle parked across 49 Barnes Avenue, unoccupied.

The victim provided investigators with “Lu’s” phone number, which came back to a Ricardo Encarnacion, who had a GPS monitoring device for an unrelated pending case. GPS data showed Encarnacion in the parking lot area of 1150 Saratoga Street then on Barnes Avenue, where the vehicle was recovered.

Encarnacion has pending larceny cases out of Framingham and Waltham district courts.

“This individual deceived and targeted the victim based on previous interactions. Thankfully this incident did not result in any physical injuries and the individual was quickly identified and apprehended.  Committing another crime while wearing a GPS monitoring device is extremely brazen and warrants additional bail conditions,” 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