Chain of events ends in Lynn man’s arrest

LYNN – A Lynn man allegedly ripped a gold chain off the neck of an unsuspecting woman on Monday night.Jose Jaime Mina, 43, of 1 Rockaway St., #5, was charged with unarmed robbery and arraigned Tuesday at Lynn District Court by Judge James Lamothe. Mina was released on personal recognizance under the condition that he stay away from the victim. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Aug. 9.According to court documents, police responded to the Washington Street side of the Lynn shelter to speak to a woman who claimed she had been robbed. The victim said she was walking in the area of 47 Central St., with a friend when she was approached by a Hispanic man wearing a bright orange shirt and a brown backpack.She said the man, later identified as Mina, put his arm around her shoulder, surprising her because he allegedly did it as if he knew her. Mina then allegedly ripped a gold chain off of her neck and ran down Washington Street toward the shelter.The victim’s boyfriend took off running after Mina, reportedly never losing sight of him until Mina allegedly jumped into the back of a Bill Woods Towing Co. flat-bed truck driving toward City Hall. A detective in the area said he saw the truck going by with a Hispanic man in the back and assisted in the stop of the truck in City Hall Square.The truck driver told police that he was flagged down by Mina, who previously worked for Woods, who said, “Hey, you gotta get me outta here.” When asked why, Mina allegedly said, “I just pushed a girl down back there.”The truck driver told police he started driving but became alarmed by Mina’s behavior when he allegedly took his orange shirt off and stuffed it into his backpack. Mina was later positively identified by the victim and her boyfriend and taken into custody. He told police that he did not have the victim’s chain and that he had tried to buy drugs, but was “ripped off.”While Mina was being driven to the station for booking, police say he slammed his head on the cruiser’s protective glass and later made suicidal statements during his booking.