BOSTON, Dec. 13, 2011—Two men were arraigned today for allegedly beating a Chelsea man in the head with a tire jack in a dispute that may have arisen over a pair of stolen sneakers, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

ALEXANDER GUEVARA (D.O.B. 2/23/91) of Chelsea and ANTONIO RIVERA (D.O.B. 10/2/91) of Boston were formally charged in Chelsea District Court after their arrests last night by Chelsea Police for the Sunday afternoon incident. Rivera was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, and possession of a class B substance. Guevara faced a single count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for allegedly wielding a tire jack during the attack.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Henry requested bail be set at $3,000 for Rivera and $5,000 for Guevara. Judge Benjamin Barnes set bail at Rivera’s bail at $1,000 and Guevara’s at $1,500.

Chelsea police responded to the area of Grove and Highland streets at about 4:15 on Sunday afternoon to find a 24-year-old Chelsea man sitting on the ground holding his head. The man told police he had been hit in the head with a tire jack by a man with a Rolling Stones tattoo on his neck who apparently believed the victim had stolen sneakers from him in Revere.

Witnesses in the area corroborated that account, saying that two men exited a gray Lexus, go to the trunk, and retrieve a tire jack and a baseball bat. One of the men, now believed to be Guevara, beat the victim in the head with the jack. The second man, now believed to be Rivera, used a knife to threaten the victim and two of the witnesses.

The victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of a head injury that was serious but not life-threatening.

With a license plate provided by a witness, Chelsea Police began searching for the suspect vehicle and Guevara, its registered owner, to no avail. On Dec. 12, prosecutors say, the victim and one of the witnesses to the assault saw Guevara’s vehicle in East Boston. They followed it to Revere and called police. Revere Police pulled the vehicle over on Waite Street and contacted Chelsea Police.

Chelsea Police arrived to find both Guevara and Rivera outside of Guevara’s vehicle. Both matched the description provided by witnesses at the scene, and officers arrested both men. Rivera was found to be in possession of crack cocaine during the booking process, prosecutors said. Both will return to court on Jan. 11.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.