Boston police say a large crowd blocked a South End intersection and attacked police cruisers in the early hours of Sunday morning . The BPD report said that officers responded to the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Street at just after 2:10 a.m. where a crowd of about 100 people had gathered, with some using vehicles to block the flow of traffic through the intersection.
When officers arrived, the report noted, the crowd began attacking the marked cruiser. One police car “sustained extensive damage” after it was hit with fireworks, which set fire to the inside of the vehicle. Some members of the crowd also jumped on the hood of the cruiser at one point.
Officers arrested two teens from Rhode Island during the incident. Julian Bowers, 18, of Cumberland, was charged with throwing objects at officers and their cruiser. William Cantwell, 19, of Warwick, who allegedly hit a cruiser repeatedly with a pole was also charged with marijuana possession for two packages of edibles police reportedly found on him during the arrest. In Massachusetts, the legal age for cannabis possession is 21.
They were both set to be arraigned in Roxbury District Court on Monday.
The incident in Boston occurred on the same night as a similar intersection takeover in Randolph. Randolph police said in a statement that a crowd of about 100 took over the intersection of Oak Street and North Main Street at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday and hit responding police cruisers with fists and objects, with some sitting on the hoods of cars while police tried to drive in the area. Police said members of the crowd also lit fireworks while sitting on the hood of a cruiser.
It is unclear whether these events were related.
At an unrelated press conference Sunday, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox said no officers were injured during the incident. He said the department will “spare no expense” to hold people accountable.
Mayor Wu, who was also at the event, said she is grateful to law enforcement for their response to the incident and reiterated that the city will work to identify those responsible.
“ The outside individuals who came into our city to cause disorder and brought dangerous behavior here will be prosecuted, and we’re asking for public’s help for any information to be able to do that as quickly as possible,” she said.
City Councillor Ed Flynn, who represents the South End, told WBUR that he sees the attacks as a “ deliberate assault on our police.” He said he will raise the topic at the council meeting on Wednesday, adding, “ I am going to be talking about this as not an isolated incident, but as an ongoing occurrence that takes place where people are deliberately attempting to hurt our police officers, impacting their safety, impacting the safety of residents as well.”
