Man with long record is charged with knife-slicing attack at Andrew station; second man sought for also stomping the victim

A judge has ordered a South Boston man who already has a long record for violent crime held pending a dangerousness hearing next week after his arrest on charges he tried to slice somebody up at the Andrew MBTA station on Tuesday, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Thomas Digaetano, 42, was arraigned in South Boston Municipal Court on Wednesday on charges of assault to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He is still awaiting trial on charges he stabbed a man and stole his phone on East 8th Street in South Boston on Feb. 25, 2020, court records show.

According to the DA's office:

At about 4:14 p.m. on Tuesday, an MBTA police officer saw two men fighting near the Ellery Street entrance to the busway at Andrew Station. When the officer approached, one of the men, wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, fled toward Southampton Street. The officer chased the man, later identified as Digaetano, and apprehended him not far from the station.

The victim, 41, suffered several lacerations to his head and abdomen. He was transported to Boston Medical Center and admitted for treatment.

Surveillance footage shows Digaetano assaulting the victim with an object consistent with a knife, carrying out several striking motions into the victim’s upper body. A second suspect, shown wearing a black T-shirt and tan shorts and a black backpack, is shown kicking and punching the victim while he is on the ground. The second suspect is being sought.

The DA's office reports Digaetano already had five open cases in South Boston court, including strangulation, kidnapping, assault and battery and drug possession with intent to distribute, as part of an overall criminal record that spans 22 pages.

Innocent, etc.