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Off-duty fire dispatcher helps capture Orange Line beating suspect

By adamg on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 8:59am

Christopher Blackwell, 22, of Charlestown, will be arraigned this morning on charges that he tried to steal some guy's iPod when their Orange Line train pulled into New England Medical Center around 11 a.m. on Wednesday and that when the guy refused to give it up, Blackwell punched him in the mouth, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

According to a police report (PDF copy), an off-duty Boston fire dispatcher noticed the fray and ran after Blackwell, tackling him at the base of the up escalator, which then carried the two men to the top, where the firefighter kept Blackwell on the ground until a Transit Police officer could arrive to arrest him.

Innocent, etc.

Neighborhoods: 
Chinatown
Topics: 
The T
Crime
Free tagging: 
New England Medical Center
Orange Line


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Comments

By anon on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 9:20am.

I'm starting to think we should have a Hero's and Zero's board on here; to give those that serve the public well their much deserved gratitude and praise, and to shame those leeching off the system and abusing it.

Good on him.

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By Anonymous Bosh on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 2:11pm.

I'm starting to think we should have a Hero's and Zero's board on here

Under the "equality outcome" rules, that would be racist, particularly in this case.

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By anon on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 10:39am.

This proves the value of assigning an off-duty firefighter detail to every T station.

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By adamg on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 2:42pm.

Channel 4 says he is Frank Sullivan, a fire dispatcher who is legally blind and deaf in one ear and who was reading Rabbi Harold Kushner's Practice Random Acts of Kindness when he noticed the commotion.

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By Suldog on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 2:55pm.

He was caught by a legally blind guy who chased him and tackled him? And the guy had been reading Kushner's book just prior? This is about as good as it gets.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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By Kaz on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 2:58pm.

If the punk who tried to steal that iPod is reading this on the jailhouse computer, let me give you some advice. Don't bend over in the shower and don't let anyone else in there figure out that you were busted by this guy. I mean, you'll be the talk of the walk when they hear that you were soft enough to get chased, tackled, and taken down by a blind man. Good luck!

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By anon on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 2:59pm.

Was this the same blind fireman who picked up his axe and saw?

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By RossieGirl on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 4:05pm.

The picture on boston.com looks like the Frank Sullivan who writes for "The Bulletin" & who also heads up the PINCH foundation.

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By adamg on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 4:16pm.

The stories have identified him as a classmate and friend of Kevin Kelley - whom Sullivan wrote about for the Bulletin.

He sounds like an amazing guy.

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By adamg on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 4:18pm.

His most recent - with links at the bottom to other columns he's written.

And for Suldog: He's from Dorchester.

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By Suldog on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 4:40pm.

I just went and read a couple of his pieces. He's damned good, wherever he's from.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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By adamg on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 4:29pm.

BlackwellA Boston Municipal Court judge set bail for Blackwell at $1,500 for the Orange Line attack, but then revoked his bail on an outstanding assault-and-battery case in Charlestown, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office says.

DA Dan Conley praised Frank Sullivan, whom he said was a neighbor and friend:

He's not one to stand by if someone else is hurt. He took action to see a wrong righted, and he deserves every word of praise he's gotten. Doing what he did took courage.

According to the DA's office:

[T]he victim, a 22-year-old Boston man, had been riding inbound on the Orange Line. The train had just pulled into New England Medical Center station when Blackwell approached him and demanded his iPod. The victim refused. Blackwell allegedly grabbed the iPod, prompting the victim to hold it tighter.

It was at this point that Blackwell allegedly punched the victim several times in the mouth. The victim let go and Blackwell fled the train with it.

[Sullivan] followed Blackwell, tackling him at the escalator. The two rode upwards to the fare gates, with Blackwell struggling violently and the witness refusing to let go. Transit Police were on scene moments later, frisked Blackwell upon learning he was a suspect in a robbery, and recovered the victim's iPod.

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By neilv on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 5:25pm.

See, that's just what I always thought able-bodied witnesses would do in a situation like that.

However, recently I'm wondering about liability. What if the suspect claimed to be injured when restrained, and tried a civil suit or to press criminal charges?

Or what if it is not immediately clear that one was being a Good Samaritan, rather than fighting with some rival thugs or committing a hate crime? I'm sure the police can unravel enough of the truth at the scene often, but probably not always.

Not everyone is associated with a revered institution like the fire department. In other cases, it might not be immediately obvious to everyone who is the good guy. One could easily face large legal fees and months of stress -- and even a criminal record for an A&B arrest, and possible resulting loss of job -- before the matter is straightened out.

I was brought up with Christian (though not uniquely Christian) values of selflessly doing the right thing, and that programming occasionally pops up. I like to think that, if someone were in imminent danger of harm, that I'd step in. If a violent criminal were running away, and it was less clear that there was imminent danger to anyone, however, I'd probably pause and debate pursuing, or at least think "Oh, *&%#@. I better not regret this."

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