A man wanted in connection with the 1989 gunpoint rapes of two women at a Framingham department store was arrested Thursday after leading police on a chase through the streets of Los Angeles, California, police sources told Boston 25 News.
Stephen Paul Gale, 71, was arrested after leading police on a chase in an SUV for more than an hour. The chase began around 4 p.m. Pacific time in San Pedro before Gale entered the northbound 110 and 405 freeways, KTLA reports.
Gale was driving at moderate speeds and evaded police PIT maneuvers before hitting a spike strip on Lindbrook Drive. Police eventually took Gale into custody on Medical Plaza Drive, more than an hour after the chase began.
Authorities announced in May that they had identified Gale as a suspect based on new DNA evidence, 35 years after he allegedly raped two store employees in Framingham.
Authorities searching for man accused of raping 2 employees at gunpoint in Framingham store
Gale entered the Hit or Miss store on Route 9 on the morning of Dec. 27, 1989, displayed a .357 magnum and forced two female employees back at gunpoint, authorities said at a news conference. He then allegedly ordered one victim to get money from a locked safe and the second to lock the store doors, before sexually assaulting them while holding the gun to their heads.
The evidence collected at the scene eventually helped investigators obtain Gale’s DNA.
A DNA profile of the suspect was developed and uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System in 2001, but no hits were ever produced that identified the suspect. In 2022, Middlesex prosecutors and Framingham police contracted with Parabon Nanolabs to conduct a genetic genealogy study to develop new leads that could help identify the suspect.
According to Ryan and Baker, investigators believe Stephen Paul Gale has been identified and have issued an arrest warrant after reviewing results from Parabon Nanolabs and additional DNA samples from his family members.
Boston 25 reporter Bob Ward spoke with the two victims in Framingham, who asked not to be named, about the relief these new details bring to the case.
“None of this has ever left our lives. This has always been a part of us. And it’s time for this man to be brought to justice and taken off the streets,” said Victim 2.
Gale was wanted on suspicion of four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping and one count of armed robbery.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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