Convenience store robbery leads to dramatic foot chase through Revere

REVERE-A Revere man who allegedly robbed a convenience store in May at knifepoint was arrested on New Year’s Eve following a wild chase through apartments and backyards after he allegedly tried to steal money from his employer, police said Wednesday.Since his arrest Monday morning, Michael A. Love, 19, of 277 Bradstreet Ave., Revere, was ordered held on $1,000 cash bail by a Chelsea District Court judge.Love was arrested shortly after he broke into the safe of his employer, Dollar Tree on Squire Road (Rte. 60) and led police on a dramatic foot chase.By the time it was over, Love allegedly walked into a stranger’s apartment and jumped out of a second story window during attempts to evade police.Police were called to the discount store at 7 a.m. after a manager noticed all of the money was missing from an unlocked safe in the office.The manager said that when he and three other employees, including Love, arrived at the store around 5 a.m., all of the $600 cash was still in the safe.The manager also said he thought it was odd that Love, a floor associate, punched into work from the punch clock in the office when the employees are supposed to punch in on the floor, according to police. Love also made several trips to his parked car during his shift, police said.After none of the employees confessed to stealing the loot, the manager called police.As the police were on their way, Love reportedly got physically ill and asked the manager if he could go home. The manager told him to stay.”Love related to another employee that he thought he was going to lose his job,” Police Capt. Michael Murphy said.The employee told Love that if he didn’t steal the money, he’d have nothing to worry about.Police said Love appeared physically nervous when officers got there. After some reluctance, Love agreed to let officers search his vehicle.A couple minutes later, Love called his mom and asked her to take his car away, which was parked in the parking lot, police said.Before she got there, police recovered bundles of cash in his car, police said.When officers tried to arrest him, however, Love allegedly pushed an officer away and began running.He ran all the way to the apartment building at 45 McCoba St. and opened the door to an apartment where a family of strangers were inside.”He told the occupants, ?Help me! Help me! The police are after me!'” Capt. Murphy said.After the residents ordered him to leave, Love allegedly ran down the hallway of the building and jumped out of a second story window. He was uninjured.Love was apparently trying to evade approaching police officers, including Officer Joseph Covino and Capt. Dennis Collyer, who followed a trail of footprints in the snow to the apartment building.The chase allegedly continued as Love hopped over wooden fences into the Barn Car Wash and eventually across Squire Road where he ran through several backyards.Police eventually arrested Love on Pitcarim Street after police used pepper spray.Several police officers were up in arms about the incident because Love was out on bail after robbing the former Lil’ Peach convenience store (now a Tedeschi’s) on Beach Street in May.On the night of May 31, Love and another Revere youth, Patrick Trainor, 18, whose last known address was 817 Broadway, were arrested after Love allegedly burst into the store while masked and holding a knife. Love allegedly fled the store with hundreds of dollars in cash and jumped into a getaway car allegedly driven by Trainor.Police Chief Terence Reardon says it’s unfortunate that a Chelsea District Court judge ordered Love held Monday on a relatively low bail amount.”I scratch my head frequently in these types of situations but we have no control over that,” Reardon said. “It’s a constant topic of conversation among Massachusetts police chiefs.””That person’s record is obviously not taken into consideration,” Reardon added. “It’s their ability to appear [in court.]”According to Murphy, Revere police have dealt with Love for crim