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Panhandler at Back Bay station charged with pushing woman to ground, beating her; bystanders scare him off, hold him for cops
By adamg on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 5:53pm
Transit Police report arresting Robert Johnson, 49, of Jamaica Plain, in connection with a failed robbery attempt last night inside Back Bay station
According to police, his victim, a 62-year-old woman, had just gotten off a 39 bus around 11:25 p.m. when Johnson asked her for some money. When she declined, police say:
Johnson followed her into the station eventually standing in front of her blocking her path. Johnson forcefully pushed the victim to the ground, struck her in the torso area and attempted to take her handbag. At this time a good citizen came to her aid and Johnson fled out of the station.
Police say they found Johnson on Dartmouth Street - where he was being restrained by another bystander, who declined to give his name.
Johnson was charged with unarmed assault to rob and assault and battery on an elderly person.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
Looks like the father from "Family Ties"
n/t
Guess all those "Tremors"
Guess all those "Tremors" residuals dried up.
It is! It's Stephen Keaton!
It is! It's Stephen Keaton!
It's getting rough out there
people are getting desperate.
62 years old. Just minding her own business. Sad shit. Also sad a 50 year old man is homeless and feels the need to snatch a 62 year old woman's bag. The majority of homeless out on the street are older guys. Why is this? If it were the opposite, overwhelmingly women, there would be an uproar.
This dude now has a place to stay, at least for awhile.
Do we know that he's homeless?
Do we know that he's homeless? The article gives his address as "Jamaica Plain"
A lot of homeless people live
A lot of homeless people live in Jamaica Plain. At the Shattuck.
Well, virtually all of the
Well, virtually all of the words for such people are no longer socially appropriate (tramp, beggar, bum, etc). So "homeless" gets used even if the speaker doesn't know for a fact that the subject has no home.
Not so. Rosie's Place was
Not so. Rosie's Place was opened in 1974 as the first women's homeless shelter in the U.S. because women weren't allowed at Pine St. Inn and the Veteran's shelters did not have beds for homeless female veterans! Women end up prostituting themselves for shelter and end up preyed upon.
However you are right the whole situation is terrible and it seems there are more desparate homeless and drug addicted on the streets. But wall street is doing just fine. Go figure.
Did Wall Street shut down all
Did Wall Street shut down all the State-run detox programs for homeless people? Is Wall Street supplying our streets with heroin? What about all the healthcare for the mentally ill? Is that why most homeless, mentally ill, drug-addicted people are going to the emergency rooms instead? Please help with answers - 'preciate it!
I don't think he's homeless.
I don't think he's homeless. He actually works for MassDOT. Some colleagues were talking about it as he works in their department; he was supposed to show up for a meeting, and when he didn't show, they found out this was the reason. I guess he does hazmat cleanups for the environmental branch of the DOT. I suppose he could be homeless, but my guess is he probably has (had) a steady salary.
Did he play cards/ponies?
Did he play cards/ponies?
It is a common enough name.
It is a common enough name. Doesn't look like the same guy...
http://mbta.com/templates/image_popup.asp?imgsrc=img+alt%3D%22Haverhill+...(L+to+R)+MBCR+Chief+Engineering+Officer+Robert+Johnson%2C+MBTA+GM+Richard+Davey%2C+Mass+Dir+of+Infrastructure+Investment+Jeffrey+Simon%2C+Sen+Steven+Baddour+and+daughter+Victoria%2C+Congresswoman+Niki+Tsongas%2C+Sen+Bruce+Tarr%2C+Rep+Barry+Finegold%2C+Rep+Barbara+L%92Italien%2C+and+MassDOT+Transportation+Secy+Jeffrey+Mullan+announce+groundbreaking+of+the+Haverhill+Project+funded+by+ARRA.
MassDOT's Environmental Section
is under the Highway Division, not Rail and Transit. While there could be a person by the same name working for the MBTA, I doubt that the Environmental Section's hazmat reviewer would be asked to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony with senior officials.
This is correct; Highway Dept
This is correct; Highway Dept.
If that's true...
He needs a psych evaluation. Could be that form of early-onset dementia that causes people to lose their inhibitions and act in bizarre, out-of-character ways...
Given what I was told about
Given what I was told about him in conversation, that's probably true. I've only heard so much about him through his coworkers, and it's not really my place to say anything else about him.
He'll be back!
He will be back at Back Bay shaking down old ladies by tommorrow
Extremely unlikely. I know
Extremely unlikely. I know the cool kids always try to look all world-weary and cynical, but when it clashes with actual facts, well...
Sad Story
Hope the woman is okay. Thankful for the people who helped her and restrained the guy!
No one should feel bad for a
No one should feel bad for a 50 year old man that beats and robs a woman. There is no excuse. In fact, I'm willing to bet , he put himself in the position he is in. Loser.
What's next
What's next feeling bad for child molesters. Let me guess, it's a disease.
I can't speak for the others
I can't speak for the others that posted here, but I think that I can feel bad for this man without accepting an excuse for his actions. I hear a lot of people on either side of this sort of argument that seem to think that we can either feel bad for the criminal and let them go or punish them because they chose to be bad people. I know nothing about this man, but for the sake of argument, if it turns out that he is homeless or on the verge of becoming homeless, I think that I can have compassion for him AND want to see a strong consequence.
I work with middle and high school students. A lot of them have a lot of trouble at home and then they let their problems boil over in school. We try to pull them aside and stop problems before they begin. We try to show students that we are on their side and care about their well-being. However, when things do boil over, I do not accept "I'm having a bad day" as an excuse; the student is punished.
I'm glad that someone working
I'm glad that someone working with youth is capable of higher level moral reasoning. It's clear that for some, it's impossible to simultaneously hold that this is a person who needs to face consequences for his horrible actions, as well as someone who is deserving of sympathy. We need more people of influence who can see beyond black and white.
Who said they felt bad for
Who said they felt bad for the guy? What's your problem that you have to invent an argument like this?
Who feels bad for him?
Who feels bad for him?
Where did you pull that one out of?
On the contrary, everyone should feel bad for him.
It's easy to feel compassion for innocent victims. Feeling compassion for liars, cheats, thieves, and lowlifes is considerably more difficult, but it's what nearly every major religion or other system of moral and ethical thought teaches us to do. Try it on.
Note that feeling compassion does not equate to excusing his actions or suggesting that he should not be held accountable and punished for them.
Well...
I guess we can be thankful he wasn't touching himself in a stall in the Men's Room... for once.
One word
Drugs.
He Looks Familiar...
Tell me he isn't the panhandler I sometimes see around Back Bay who makes such clever jokes as he does his spiel that I can't resist giving him money. The guy I'm remembering is pleasant and charming, tall, with a similar face and hair. I haven't seen him in a long time. Does anyone know the guy I mean?
Hope he doesn't lose his job and become a panhandler for real...
The suspect does work at MassDOT in their hazmat unit. He is smart, serious and professional. It is a huge shock. Years ago I got drunk after work and realized I didn’t have enough money for the T so I had to panhandle a few dollars to get home. I didn’t rob anyone, but I understand the frustration because it wasn’t that easy and some people made rude comments. I’m not saying I know what happened, but considering he would normally have taken the orange line home 7 hours earlier, that’s a possibility. If you’re drunk and just want to get home you might do something pretty stupid. Also, he’s no regular panhandler and he is not very tall, 5’9” at most.
Because all real panhandlers
are at least 6 feet tall, right?
Doing something stupid
To me, that means, at worst, bashing a pay phone or tipping a vending machine for enough change, or jumping a turnstyle.
Blocking the path of an older woman, physically attacking and brutalizing her, and grabbing her purse isn't stupid. It is criminal and violent and intentional.
I not only hope that he loses his job, but that he gets sent (back?) to prison. Assault and robbery and taking your frustrations out on an older woman are not "ha ha boys being boys".
correct
w
you are correct whoever you are. This is a good friend of mine who ive known for 30 years. He is not homeless. he has had hard times but there are 2 sides to every story. he would not purpously attack a 62 year old woman. something else was going on
Compassion for his victim and for Robert
We don't know his state of mind, or if he has addiction issues but clearly he had some mental health problems. Those of you who mention his employer or gossip about him should be ashamed of themselves.
I am not defending his actions at all; it is a heinous crime.
The internet can be a horrible place to be sometimes because you get lots of people with their own issues passing judgement on someone they don't even know (or if they do, they should shut their mouths unless they have walked in his shoes).
I hope that his victim recovers soon and that he gets the help he needs....
Okay. I feel better. Good night!