BOSTON (WHDH) - Some fast-acting Boston police officers are being applauded for diffusing what could have been an explosive situation Friday when an emotionally disturbed man ripped a gas line out of the wall and tried to light the fumes with a cigarette lighter, officials said.
Officers responding to a 12:10 p.m. report of an emotionally disturbed person on Walford Way in Charlestown found that a 57-year-old man had barricaded himself inside an apartment and ripped a gas line from the wall. When they made their way into the apartment, police said the man started trying to ignite a cigarette lighter in the room with the gas leak.
Using a less-lethal, Super Sock round shotgun, the officers disarmed the man and placed him into custody. The man, whose name has not been released, was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for evaluation. He will be charged with attempted arson, assault with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct, police said.
Police Commissioner William B. Evans applauded the officers for handling what could have been a deadly situation.
“This was obviously an extremely dangerous incident both for the other residents of the building and for my officers,” Evans said in a statement. “The officers knew they needed to act quickly, and I applaud their restraint in a volatile and unstable situation.”
This is a developing news story, 7News will add more information as it becomes available.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)