The NPD Facebook page reported yesterday on the handling of this pair of calls. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt thanks to admirable restraint on the part of NPD.
On Saturday March 6, 2021, at approximately 9:04 pm, Newton Police responded to a home in the Four Corners area for a report of a domestic dispute. The caller also indicated her son was talking about Suicide by Cop. Upon arrival, officers were informed the subject was upstairs in his room and it was unknown if he had any weapons but his mother reported to police that he could be in possession of a knife or gun.
As officers started up the stairs, the subject allegedly came out of his room with his hand hidden from view in the pocket of his sweatshirt. One of the responding officers ordered to him take his hand out of his pocket and he did not comply. The subject allegedly stated that he was in possession of a gun. The officer was able to approach the suspect and safely remove his hands from his pockets revealing that he was not in possession of a weapon.
During the exchange with officers the suspect allegedly continued refusing to comply with officer’s commands and reportedly indicated to officers that he wanted them to kill him.
As officers were attempting to gain control of the subject on the ground, he allegedly grabbed at an officer’s firearm and attempted to disarm him. At this time the subject was actively resisting arrest. The suspect was able to disengage the strap covering the rear of the officer’s firearm and disable the safety mechanism before the officer was able to break the subject’s grip with the help of another officer. The officers were subsequently able to safely handcuff the subject behind his back.
The subject was placed under arrest and sent to Saint Elizabeth’s for a mental health evaluation.
The subject is being charged with Assault and Battery on a Police Officer for Felony-Attempting to Disarm an Officer and Resisting Arrest.
During the struggle an officer sustained a cut on the top of his left hand and was treated on scene by Fallon Medics.
***It should be noted that earlier in the day, at approximately 1:45 pm, officers responded to the same address for a report of a suicidal party reportedly armed with a knife and BB gun threatening to charge officers on their arrival.
Once inside the home, officers were immediately met by a man making statements of wanting to be harmed by officers. During this time, he was holding a black handgun in his right hand down by his right side. One of the officer’s was able to disarm him without harming himself or the subject.
The subject was sent to Newton Wellesley Hospital for evaluation with charges pending of Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
The weapon was subsequently determined to be a Powerline Daisy 426 BB gun.
No Arraignment date has been set.
It sounds like the man involved in both incidents is the same man. It is lucky there was not a bad outcome here. Hope he gets the help he needs.
Thank you for posting this Jerry. Too often we only hear about what the police do wrong. I think there are many, many incidents the public is unaware of where the police are exceptional because of privacy concerns.
I also think our police officers low morale in Newton is concerning and I don’t think the secretive Police Reform Task Force is helping morale. Where are the minutes to any of it’s meetings?
Thank you to the NPD for their bravery and professionalism.
I think those of us who are not police officers cannot fully understand how much thoughtful judgment is required every day of the year by our officers, often in very stressful or unpredictable situations. This summary gives just one such example.
Our Newton police do amazing work every day. Sometimes we never know what danger they are on. I feel for the family affected. And grateful for police officers for helping every day.
I would guess the vast majority of police interactions are handled professionally, perhaps even in 99.9% range
Those who want to defund the police should ride along for a full week on the nightshift of dangerous areas. Very easy to critize the police from the luxury of your affluent neighborhood
“The suspect was able to disengage the strap covering the rear of the officer’s firearm and disable the safety mechanism before the officer was able to break the subject’s grip with the help of another officer.”
I don’t fault the officers. They do what they are asked to do, in the way they are trained to do it. But for this incident to have evolved into a struggle over an officer’s gun, indicates that NPD needs serious and immediate reevaluation as to how they handle similar situations.
This also raises concerns about what happened at Newton-Wellesley, where he was taken for evaluation after the first incident but then released to home only to have a repeat incident hours later.
@Mike,
What do you suggest the Police do? How should they handle a report of a possibly armed subject?
@Whole Truth– I don’t claim any expertise in policing. So it would be presumptuous of me to lend advice. But I’m pretty sure that no genuine expert in law enforcement technique would think the solution involves a wrestling match over an officer’s gun. Clearly a different approach to these types of encounters is needed.