By Colleen Cronin
Boston Herald
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BOSTON — A Boston Police officer tried to arrest a man Sunday night in Dorchester, but a crowd intervened, throwing drinks and objects at the officer before the suspect got away, videos going viral on social media show.
Officer Jesse Kennedy responded to a radio call for a loud disturbance at the intersection of Old Road and Ellington Street at around 9:24 p.m. , according to a police report from the incident.
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Traffic ahead of the intersection was “gridlocked,” the report said, with between 100 and 150 people drinking and playing loud music, “low riders,” mopeds, and dirt bikes blocking the road.
Kennedy turned on his blue lights and sirens and parked his marked cruiser on the corner of the intersection.
As he was trying to disperse the crowd, Kennedy saw a dirt bike without a rear plate, so he approached the rider, placed his hands on the handlebars, and asked him to get off the bike to verify that it was registered.
“At this point, the unidentified male refused to step off the dirt bike and continuously stated that… the bike was registered,” the report said.
The rider told the officer to look at the rear of the bike again, according to the report, “in what Officer Kennedy believed was an attempt to have him let go of the dirt bike for the unidentified to make good on his escape.”
The officer asked him several more times to get off, before the rider allegedly started to pull away from the officer, causing the bike, the rider, and the officer to all fall over.
The report noted that at this point, Kennedy’s body camera was knocked off his vest.
The police officer and the suspect started grappling with one another, and according to the report, both fell multiple times during the interaction.
“Throughout this physical struggle multiple members of the group congregating began throwing various items at Officer Kennedy including alcoholic beverages,” the report said.
The viral videos appear to capture some of this: Kennedy is holding the suspect’s hands behind his back, as people in the crowd toss liquids and containers at the officer. Glass smashes on the road, and the suspect pulls away from Kennedy, who tries to chase after him.
The crowd cheers as the suspect flees.
“Due to the intervention of the group congregating, Officer Kennedy was not able to maintain custody of the unidentified individual or the dirt bike,” the report said.
More officers arrived on the scene and cleared the rest of the group away. The report doesn’t note that any members of the crowd were arrested.
The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association has said the incident is an example of the department being understaffed.
“Completely unacceptable. The disrespect is alarmingly disgraceful,” the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association wrote in a post on X sharing the video. “This is Boston at its worst. If you think this type of behavior is remotely acceptable, you’ve lost your mind. Our cops deserve better.”
“Fewer cops means less safety,” the association wrote in another post. “Being outnumbered on the streets is BAD FOR EVERYBODY.”
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said that any individuals “involved in this assault should be arrested and prosecuted and if convicted, a state sentence is warranted.”
“It should never be acceptable to assault a police officer or first responder,” Flynn wrote in a statement. “As a city, we can’t allow this ongoing disrespect and violence against any police officer.”
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