Boston Man Held on $2K Bail After 'Unprovoked' Brick Attack On Boston Police Cruiser
BOSTON (CBS) – A Boston man is being held on $2,000 bail after he allegedly threw bricks at a Boston Police officer Thursday morning while she was inside her cruiser.
24-year-old Jonathan Andujar was arraigned Thursday afternoon in Boston Municipal Court and faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a public employee, and resisting arrest in connection with the incident.
Andujar was also ordered to undergo an evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.
"The defendant is alleged to have thrown a brick at the cruiser. Another officer on scene was able to apprehend the defendant approaching from behind and took him to the ground. That officer has actually broken his wrist in two places due to the fall. there was some resisting during the arrest," prosecutor Daniel Nucci said.
The attack began around 8:15 a.m. when the unidentified officer was driving her cruiser responding to a reported suspicious package near Hynes Convention Center.
While on Monsignor Reynolds Way in the South End, the officer heard a loud bang. She turned her cruiser around and saw a man holding a brick.
Boston Police said Andujar hit the side of the officer's cruiser with a brick, then hit the windshield with another. The female officer was not injured.
Prosecutors say during booking, Andujar made remarks about Germany, the Nazis, and the city not liking a tattoo of a tiger on his chest. The defense says mental health is a big issue here.
"There's no criminal record at all. There's obviously something going on here, some mental illness of some sort. He's 24 years old, no prior brushes with the law. We'd just like to see him evaluated," defense attorney Thomas McCarthy said.
"These are the types of incidents that my officers deal with on a daily basis," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said about the brick assault. "Even with all the training and preparation that we undergo, no one can fully be prepared for these unprovoked and unwarranted attacks. I'm proud that these officers were able to deescalate the situation quickly, but I'm disappointed that this individual put them in a position that jeopardized their safety and the community's."