Transit Police report arresting a Wakefield man on charges he punched one of two people who wouldn't give him money, then stabbed the second.
Police say John Spector, 25, approached the two around 12:10 a.m. today as they entered the commuter-rail waiting area. Both asked that he leave them alone; they had no money to give. That really got him angry, police say. Spector:
Followed the victims as they made their way to Track 7. The victims again requested Spector leave them alone, Spector responded by striking the 33 year old victim in the face with a closed fist knocking him to the ground. The 2nd victim intervened and struggled with Spector. At this time Spector stabbed the 2nd victim in the bicep area and fled the station.
Boston Police found Spector running through Paul Revere Park on the other side of the Charles not long after.
Officers noted he was sweating profusely and had blood on his face.
After being identified by his victims, he was arrested on charges of assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, police say.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
Are the police allowed to
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 1:44pm
Are the police allowed to remove panhandlers from the station?
north station
By bostnkid
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 2:39pm
have you been down there lately? junkie central. they are pulling dead ODs out of there every week.very bad scene down there.
I'm glad I'm rarely there at that hour...
By octr202
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 2:48pm
...but unfortunately North Station's becoming a shelter of sorts at all times it seems. Only see a police presence when there's an event at the garden, or this winter when passengers were getting furious trying to squeeze on the few trains that were running. Usually there are Garden security guards there but it seems like of late I don't even see many of them around. I'd say getting panhandled or sob-storied for money happens at least once a week as a daily commuter.
It's pretty sad - even with all the work that's been done to North Station, at busy times it's still a cramped, cold/hot (depending on season), miserable hole of a station.
Police too busy at construction details
By Markk02474
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:23pm
when flagmen could be doing that and they could be patrolling elsewhere where the junkies hang out.
Police actually perform
By MIMI
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:52pm
Police actually perform detail work when they're off shift.
thats not really
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:58pm
how police details work
having flagmen isn't going to increase police presence without also increasing police budget significantly and lol let me tell you how little most towns and cities are interested in doing that
And it's highly unlikely
By roadman
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 4:00pm
that the police are going to create a special "junkies detail" to address the issue.
OK, then get them off traffic enforcement
By Markk02474
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 6:14pm
since ODs kill 3x as many people as motor vehicles in Mass.
yes
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 7:35pm
probably because we have 3x as many cops on traffic assignments
i think im actually ashamed to be from the same place as you
Cite?
By lbb
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 10:23pm
Cite? Or did you just pull that figure out of your ass?
what about the bathrooms?
By kitty
Sat, 06/27/2015 - 4:49pm
The bathrooms at the TD Garden / North Station is disgusting. Who is in charge of this area??
Everyone should call TD Bank and complain. They have their name on the building.
It's so awful. Are there
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:18pm
It's so awful. Are there reports confirming the numbers of ODs?
The bathrooms are really really disgusting, too.
South Station (of course, especially in front of the bus terminal) and DTX are still awful as well. It kills me that multimillion dollar condos are there and yet, right around the corner, some of the most destitute people in the state.
Huh?
By erik g
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 5:45pm
I... what? I've commuted through there daily for years. Yes, there are homeless folks around most of the time. It's a heavily-trafficked station that's open all night and has benches; what do you expect, when the city keeps removing beds at shelters? No, they are not generally aggressive. No, they are not shooting heroin in the middle of the platform. No, people are not OD'ing there in record numbers, or whatever weird personal dystopia you're projecting onto it. In almost a decade, I've seen one situation that was prickly enough that I went looking for security.
Yes. But my question was, are
By anon
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 4:25pm
Yes. But my question was, are the police *allowed* to remove panhandlers? That's a prerequisite to them actually doing it.
security not allowed to touch them
By kitty
Sat, 06/27/2015 - 4:52pm
Where are the police at North Station? Between the city saying that its the state and the state saying its the city-- everyone is at-risk. Everyone should call TD Bank
north station
By kitty
Sat, 06/27/2015 - 4:44pm
security can escort them out of the building, only to have them enter the building again through a different door. It is not clear who is in charge of North Station. When you call the city, they tell you to call the state. when you call the state, they tell you to call TD. When you call TD, tell you to call the city.
It seems no one wants to take responsibility for what goes on at North Station.
To reiterate
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 2:47pm
Where are we on the pepper-spray-without-a-firearms-license again?
Not certain ...
By ElizaLeila
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 4:24pm
According to the BPD Website:
"MGL Ch.140 Sec. 122C requires a person under the age of 18 to obtain a FID card to possess chemical propellants; also know as mace or self defense spray. An FID – chemical propellant is not available for issuance to applicants over 17 years of age. The Boston Police Department does not advocate for or against citizens carrying self defense sprays."
I'm not certain what that means for people over 17: can we get mace without an FID?
The Boston Police Department
By anon
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:52am
I find it weird they'd take such a cover-your-behind stance on OC spray, but frequently advise people to use their car keys as a weapon when they release a community bulletin about attacks, sexual assaults, and the like.
Always
By ElizaLeila
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 9:42am
They've always recommended against such sprays because they can be easily taken away and used against you.
Using your car keys for self protection is not as easy as a spray because you need to arrange them in your hand just so in order for it to be effective, so there is time lost when you could be getting way from your attacker. Not to mention that sprays don't always work, especially if the attacker is on something.
The Boston and Cambridge PDs offer a free course for women called RAD - Rape Aggression Defense where you learn basic techniques for getting away from attackers - key phrase is getting away. They do not advocate going on the offensive because you/the attackee can be held liable. It's about staying alive. Actually - the local colleges and universities offer it as well. I recommend it. http://www.rad-systems.com/program_ma.html
I personally carry one of these: http://shop.dailycoyote.net/product/grab-it-stab-it Which could be turned against me. Hopefully I never have to use it.
you can buy pepper spray now.
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 4:27pm
you can buy pepper spray now. I got some at a police supply store.
is that good on swordfish?
By teric
Sat, 06/27/2015 - 1:46pm
<>
The law was changed on August
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 4:44pm
The law was changed on August 15th of last year to eliminate the card requirement for pepper spray except for persons under the age of 18 (tacked onto the latest gun control bill) and the AG stopped harassing retailers for selling pepper spray(they only did this for a month when the office considered it a "gray area") without an ammunition sales license in October of last year.
Kenmore Army Navy downtown now carries it.
Deval Patrick signed this in last year.
By Boston_res
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 4:45pm
Over 18 is now allowed to buy and carry pepper spray. It's item #2 in the linked document located on mass.gov:
http://www.mass.gov/eopss/docs/eops/notice-to-deal...
Good job Transit and BPD
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:08pm
No jurisdictional battles, just two teams of professionals working together to catch this dangerous individual
Not sure if it's still there
By roadman
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:40pm
but at one point the North Station waiting area had a Transit Police substation.
It's still there...
By SalSal
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:55pm
but I've never seen anyone go in or out of it.
So that's what happened
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 3:43pm
So that's what happened to Jake from "2 1/2 Men".
Isn't this Sob Story Guy?
By Irmo
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 5:55pm
Isn't this Sob Story Guy?
Usually haunts the Green and Orange lines?
i thought so too
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 7:37pm
but honestly i cant remember much what he looks like other than young, white, disheveled
Not sob story guy
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 8:03pm
Not sob story guy.
for those of you
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 7:39pm
that clutch your pearls when you see a homeless person, i'd prolly advocate ditching the city life and going out somewhere in central mass. you can get a nice yard and quiet neighborhood. then the realities of city living, like minorities, homeless, and loud scary noises should abate
Mr. Spector commutes from Wakefield to panhandle
By Markk02474
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 7:57pm
at North Station. He apparently isn't homeless in the big city. Sorry to interrupt your narrative with facts.
Wakefield
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 8:29pm
May simply be his last known address, probably parent(s) home,etc. He most likely is indeed homeless.
Boston/Cambridge get homeless from all over metro Boston, New England and the east coast as a whole.
youll notice
By Scumquistador
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 9:31pm
that he isn't panhandling in wakefield though
also, i have two drivers licenses and neither of them say the name of the town i live in so where he is officially from means pretty much squat
nor is wakefield by any remote definition of the word central mass
Half the panhandlers you see
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 9:40pm
Half the panhandlers you see every day aren't homeless or destitute. They have housing and some sort of limited income/welfare/family to cover their basic needs. Their panhandling is to cover the expense of addictions or other wants.
It's more of a street performance or con game than legitimate desperation.
for those of you
By lbb
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 10:27pm
who have never been outside the city, I'd prolly advocate learning what you're talking about before you open your pie hole.
OK, way OT but I have to ask
By anon
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 6:54pm
OK, way OT but I have to ask since it really annoys me. What is it with people using "prolly" instead of "probably"? Is it really a task to spell a word correctly? I know some people object to using the phrase "begs the question." My pet peeve is prolly.
Lynn Police blog June, 2012
By anon
Thu, 06/25/2015 - 8:33pm
http://patch.com/massachusetts/wakefield/police-lo...
John Spector,22, arrested on outstanding warrant from Malden Court
Keolis is
By bulgingbuick
Fri, 06/26/2015 - 8:16am
hiring.
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