Police: Career criminal may have bitten off more than he could chew in South Boston

A man with a lengthy criminal record faces new charges for an August bar brawl in South Boston, in which he allegedly bit off a man's lower lip.

According to police and a manager at Croke Park, 268 West Broadway, Robert O'Connor entered the bar around 11:30 p.m., looking for trouble. BPD Det. Kenneth O'Brien told the Boston Licensing Board this morning that bar manager Danny Kelly told O'Connor to get out, because his reputation as "a scary guy" preceded him into the bar. O'Connor took out a folding knife, unfolded it and told Kelly "you know what I'll do with this." He then folded the knife, put it back into his pocket and lunged at Kelly, O'Brien said.

Kelly managed to get O'Connor outside, where a bar patron joined him in containing O'Connor to keep him from re-entering the bar until police could arrive. But O'Connor escaped and began pummeling the patron, who fought back. The two rolled across the street, where, finally, as they became "entangled," O'Connor got the man's lower lip with his teeth and bit down - hard - ripping most of his lip off, O'Brien said.

"A search of the area was conducted for the lip and the knife," O'Brien said. "Neither was found."

As police and EMTs arrived and tended to the injured patron, somebody pointed out to police that O'Connor had returned and was standing across the street. O'Brien said an officer ran after him and placed him under arrest, on charges of mayhem and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. O'Brien said the evidence on O'Connor's face showed the patron managed to get a few swings in.

Kelly praised the patron. "He was a bit of a hero, in the sense that he managed to get [O'Connor] across the street, away from the innocents," he said. O'Brien said O'Connor is a career criminal and "a very dangerous man," and he's glad police were able to capture him that night.

O'Brien added he didn't think there was anything the bar could have done to prevent the attack.

Innocent, etc.