Boston Police Subdue Knife-Wielding Man With Bean Bag Round On Mass Ave.
BOSTON (CBS) – Police officers subdued a knife-wielding man with a bean bag round during an incident Tuesday afternoon on Mass Ave. in Boston. Cell phone video captured the suspect backing down Huntington Ave., yelling at the swarm of officers tracking him as they demanded he drop the knife.
Pedestrian Nick Pandis thought the man might come after him. "I'm still in shock because it happened right in front of us," Pandis said.
It was just before 1:30 when 911 callers warned police of a man waving a knife and making incoherent threats and officers encountered the agitated, uncooperative suspect. He was later identified as 39-year-old Carmen Polito of Brockton.
"I couldn't really make out what he was saying but they were all screaming 'drop the knife, drop the knife,'" said witness Abigail Klinge.
When that didn't happen, police tried to drop the suspect with a bean bag round.
"One of them fired a bean bag round and he got hit with it, but recoiled pretty fast, started sprinting," Klinge said.
But that short pursuit came to an end on Mass Ave. where a second bean bag took the knife-wielding suspect to the pavement.
"All the cops had their guns drawn," said Carter Gramiak. "There was probably 12 to 15 guns on this guy as he's laying on the ground."
The suspect's motives aren't known, but it was certainly the talk of the Northeastern University campus, where students have just returned from the holiday break.
"This is probably the craziest thing I've seen so far, it was definitely startling," Klinge said.
One officer injured in the scuffle went to the hospital. He was not stabbed.
Carmen Polito will be in court Wednesday, charged with assault and resisting arrest.