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Man smashed in the face on the Red Line at JFK/UMass; suspect arrested
By adamg on Mon, 03/07/2022 - 9:29am
Transit Police report arresting a Dorchester man they say repeatedly hit another man in the face with some sort of blunt object on a Red Line train Friday night.
Police say David Washington-Halfkenny, 40, had been "aggressively pacing" up and down a car around 8:50 p.m. when, without provocation, "struck the victim in his face/head numerous times with a blunt object" as the train sat at JFK/UMass.
Police say when officers arrived, Washington-Halfkenny was "standing over the victim and shouting," with blood streaming "profusely from [the victim's] face and head."
After pulling him away, they arrested him on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Innocent, etc.
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Comments
Reason 1,000,789,999
Why I’ll never ride the T again. Can’t even mind your own business without getting your face smashed open.
You realize
You do realize how many thousands ride the T every day without incident. Very sorry for the injured person. Hope he heals quickly. It appears the perpetrator had some major issues.
Constant Incidents
"You do realize how many thousands ride the T every day without incident."
Yes, but that is getting less and less. Thankfully, not many encounter these outright violent incidents, but due to the preponderance of addicted and mentally ill prowling all T lines, there are constant uncomfortable goings on. Everything from smoking in stations to screaming people to menacing and aggressive people. I have been a daily rider for over 40 years and I have never seen it so bad. Another recent trend that has become widespread is people blasting loud music or other sounds from cell phones with a "just TRY to say something about it" attitude. This is reminiscent of the early 80s when people blasted music from very large "boom boxes" of the kind then popular. The devices have gotten smaller, but the arrogance has not.
"preponderance of addicted
"preponderance of addicted and mentally ill prowling all T lines"
Mentally ill people, such as myself, are not more violent then the average non-mentally ill person. I ride the T and am mentally ill.
Perhaps that can be rephrased...
I am a frequent T rider and have clearly noticed an ever increasing demographic of the type of person with mental health issues that acts out. This is often, but not always, combined with addiction. It assuredly makes for some uncomfortable T riding.
Agreed, also people like to
Agreed, also people like to make excuses for awful people by claiming they are "sick," or "need help." No, some people are just lousy! Doesn't mean they are mentally ill.
Downplay
The crime situation on the T has become concerning.
Look at all the crimes just in the last few months. Multiple murders, stabbing, fights, racial abuse, and so on at MBTA stations.
There's a broad swarth
Between the T being the safest place in the city and the T being crime ridden.
There's always been a level of crime on the T. Heck, I grew up riding the T in the 1980s. I had a classmate put into traction for accidentally stepping on someone's new Air Jordans at Ashmont. I had another classmate have someone stumble into a train at Broadway and proceed to bleed on them. The difference between the 1980s and now is that it is easier for news like this to get broadcast, for better or for worse.
I take the T every day, and I feel safe. I don't see incidents like this on a regular basis. The last incident I can recall is a fight breaking out when my train was stopped at Ruggles last July. I think all the riders just wanted them to continue the fight on the platform so we could get home, which thankfully is what happened.
The T is fine
This is overdramatic. Saying you won't take the T ever again because of a random, unprovoked attack is like saying you'll never drive again because tens of thousands of people die in motor vehicle-related incidents every year. I'm willing to bet you still drive. The majority of people that take the T (myself included) don't experience anything that even comes close to this. Living life will always carry some risk with it. This incident, no doubt, is scary and concerning, but the baseless fearmongering and hyperbole like this is unnecessary.
I will say there has been a
I will say there has been a major increase in threatening people on the train in the last year or so. I will continue to take the train, however.
No argument here
I agree, and I've been chalking it up to the pandemic just causing everyone to generally go a little nuts. Here's hoping things calm down as our lives get more back to normal.
I haven't noticed any change.
I haven't noticed any change.
This is not over-dramatic.
This is not over-dramatic. Its good,and I mean this sincerely, that you have not encountered this and hope you continue to feel safe. But, as someone who takes the T frequently and lives near a station, there is an noticeable increase in behavior that can make the average person feel unsafe. I see it and feel it daily.
I've been subject to crime/threats on the T
More than once.
It was so bad in Roxbury ~5 years ago my boss started picking up our two youngest (15 and 16-year-old girls) employees rather than allowing them to take the bus. It's a real issue.
About a year later a friend of mine was mugged at Ruggles.
It seems worse now.
Do you ride in cars? Because
Do you ride in cars? Because you may have heard people die in car accidents. Do you eat food? You probably should stop,because sometimes people die of food poisoning. Oh, and don't ever cross the road because sometimes pedestrians get hit.
Not feeling safe on the T
As someone who has been taking the T for 40 years, and knows my way around the system very well, the past few years have been way worse in terms of not feeling safe. Its about 50/50 that someone in the car I am riding on, or the platform where I am waiting, seems out of sorts and/or volatile.
Hopefully this victim recovers fully and can feel safe again.
The unpredictability of it all
As a longtime T rider I agree that times have changed and not for the better. I believe that you can be safe in dangerous places if you have a reasonable idea of what you can expect. The unpredictable and aggressive behaviors we r seeing more and more of on the T is what rattles me
Speaking of unpredictable
About 10:05 PM tonight I get in to Forest Hills and take the escalator to the upper level to transfer busses.
At the top I'm greeted by a man screaming "Hapkido" and jumping around doing kicks and martial arts looking arm movements. Two MBTA Policemen and an EMT team are watching him from a corner by the entrance. I guess they were waiting for him to tire himself out.
About 4 minutes later as my bus pulls out another emergency response vehicle pulls up to station. I think it was Boston Police.
I considered that to be slightly scary. I can't be sure but that second vehicle pulling up makes me think someone other than Mr. Hapkido may have been injured during this event.
Ashmont station yesterday
When school got out yesterday the jets and sharks started a huge rumble and the Boston and State police had to respond to restore order.
We know the victim
He has been threw alot heart transplants and many procedures and now this has happened to the poor kid. Justice should keep this man in jail for years for doing this to 2 strangers that we know of. God only know how many people he has done this too that we don't know about. .
The victim was a friend of my Wife. zach