The alleged hammer. Photo by BPD.
Boston Police report officers subdued and arrested a man who used a hammer to attack several businesses and two vehicles Sunday afternoon.
Police say officers responded to 738 E. Broadway around 4:30 p.m. to find John Connolly, 52, swinging a hammer, "yelling incoherently" and bleeding from the head as a crowd warily encircled him:
Officers immediately attempted to set a perimeter around him to prevent injury to the onlookers. The suspect charged at several of the officers, swinging the hammer towards them causing them to tactically retreat to cover behind their police cruisers while still maintaining a level of containment of the suspect. Officers gave several verbal commands for the suspect to drop the knife but he did not comply, continuing to swing the hammer, even shattering a window pane of a local business. A sergeant on scene, who was armed with a less lethal bean bag shotgun, raised it towards the suspect who had turned to charge towards him. Upon seeing the shotgun pointed directly at him, the suspect suddenly dropped the hammer to the ground and officers were able to place him in custody after a violent struggle.
As he was being transported to a local hospital for treatment and observation, officers found "numerous buildings and a motor vehicle" had been damaged by his hammer, police say.
Connolly faces five counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and four counts of malicious destruction of property.
Innocent, etc.