Man bites Boston police officer, injures 3 others in ‘violent encounter’ at City Hall, DA says

BOSTON — A Bridgewater man was held on thousands of dollars of bail Friday afternoon for allegedly initiating a violent confrontation with Boston police officers at Boston City Hall earlier in the day.

51-year-old Michael Williams was arraigned in Central Boston Municipal Court and is charged with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, and assault to maim.

According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Williams was the subject of an officer in trouble call around 9:45 a.m. at Boston City Hall. A witness allegedly told police that Williams was shouting racial slurs at a group of people visiting the building. Officers then asked Williams to leave the premises.

Prosecutors say Williams was in Boston to attend a hearing on bicycle lanes in the city.

After initially complying, officials say Williams became combative with officers and began arguing with them. At one point, an officer asked Williams, “Are you choosing to be arrested,” to which he allegedly responded, “Yes.”

The DA’s office says while trying to arrest Williams, he bit an officer in the hand, causing severe damage and heavy bleeding. Parts of the officer’s skin and tissue were allegedly hanging off the hand.

Williams then freed his arms and punched two officers with a closed fist before fleeing briefly, according to authorities. He was then apprehended and allegedly continued to resist arrest and officers, even when he was transported for booking at the Area A-1 station.

Four officers were transported to Mass General Hospital to be treated for their injuries as a result of this encounter, according to officials.

In a statement, Mayor Michelle Wu said she’s thankful for the quick response by officers:

“I’m always grateful for the service of our Boston Police and Municipal Protective Services officers at City Hall, who every day help ensure a welcoming environment for residents and visitors to the building for constituent services and events. But today I’m especially thankful for their quick response to protect staff and members of the public. No officer should be subjected to injury or harm for doing their job, and I wish them a quick recovery.”

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden echoed a similar sentiment, saying in part that the job of law enforcement is largely unpredictable.

“This shows once again that a police officer’s day can change dramatically in an instant,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. “This incident could have been avoided if the defendant had followed officers’ instructions and left the building. Instead, he escalated it into an extremely violent encounter in which he inflicted a serious injury before he could be subdued.”

Judge Paul Treseler set Williams’s bail at $25,000 and ordered Williams to stay out of Boston and wear a GPS tracking device if released on bail.  Williams was also ordered to be committed to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental health evaluation.

He will return to court on April 24 for a pretrial conference.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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