Boston Officer, Violent Suspect Tussle Outside Skating Rink; Citizens Step Up: BPD

BOSTON, MA — When an allegedly drunk and violent man lunged at a Boston Police officers outside a skating rink, Boston citizens stepped up to assist, according to a wild report from the Boston Police Department Wednesday.

According to police, the whole thing started around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, with reports of a man outside The Skating Club of Boston allegedly drinking from an open container and spotted publicly urinating outside the skating rink by several families.

An officer responded to the scene, reportedly approaching the man, who appeared homeless, and offering him a ride to a nearby shelter. That was fine, police say, but as soon as the officer asked the suspect to empty out his can of beer, he became violent.

We'll let the police report take it from here:

When the officer asked the suspect to empty the nearly full can of beer he was drinking from and throw it in the trash, he instead suddenly threw it at the officer, hitting him in the head above his left eye. The suspect then immediately lunged at the officer, grabbing him, causing both men to fall to the ground and causing the officer to strike his head as they fell onto the pavement.

A violent struggle then ensued, with the suspect punching and kicking the officer several times.

During the fight, the suspect made several attempts to remove the officer’s gun from his holster. The officer was able to retain custody of his weapon but lost his radio as the two fought on the ground, rendering him unable to call for assistance.

At this time, several witnesses stepped up and called 911, prompting an immediate response from additional units. Even more remarkably, two witnesses came to the aid of the officer, attempting to physically restrain the combative suspect until back up arrived.

With the assistance of the additional responding units, the violent suspect was eventually placed in custody and then transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries he sustained as a result of his actions. He was later released and booked in the usual manner. The officer was also transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of head, neck and back injuries he sustained during the incident. He was later released and is recovering at this time.

Police say the suspect, later identified as 45-year-old Patrick Lowry, of Belmont, will appear in Brighton District Court on charges of Assault & Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (Shod Foot) on a Police Officer, Resisting Arrest, Open & Gross Lewdness and Drinking an Alcoholic Beverage in Public.

Police additionally extended their thanks to the members of the public who took action by calling 911, enabling the necessary police response.

"All too often, we have seen people react to similar situations in a negative manner by choosing instead to taunt and yell at officers who are engaged in the difficult pursuit of their lawful duties," a police press release said. "And while we do not encourage citizens putting themselves in harm’s way by getting physically involved in a violent situation, we realize that the two witnesses who engaged the suspect feared for the life of the officer and were compelled to risk their own personal safety to put a stop to this vicious attack. We are grateful they were not harmed during the incident and thank them for their selfless actions."

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