Man charged with attacking woman, three teens

BOSTON, December 19, 2022 — A Roxbury man was charged in Roxbury BMC today with multiple assault charges after police responded to a domestic violence call Friday and found the man being held down by a woman and a teenage boy, both of whom the man had earlier assaulted, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

DESMOND FORTES, 37, was charged with assault and battery on a family or household member. three counts of assault and battery and resisting arrest.  Judge David Breen ordered Fortes held in lieu of $500 bail, plus stay away from the scene of the assault and have no contact with the victims, and GPS monitoring.  Breen also ordered Fortes to remain drug- and alcohol-free and to attend two AA meetings per week.

Fortes will return to court March 1 for a probable cause hearing. 

Assistant District Attorney Nicholas Babaian said Boston police responded to a Maywood Street residence on Friday at about 11:30 p.m. and were met by multiple residents at the address who told police that a man was inside attacking a woman and children in one of the units.

When police entered they saw Fortes, who appeared to be extremely intoxicated, being held down by a woman and a teenage boy.  The woman and the boy told police that Fortes had attacked them after complaining about some rooms being “messy.”  The woman and boy told police Fortes had attacked two other teenaged boys in the unit as well.

Fortes resisted when police attempted to handcuff him, lying on the ground and placing his hands under his stomach.  Police eventually handcuffed Fortes, but he refused to stand and had to be carried to a cruiser. When placed in the cruiser Fortes stuck his feet out to prevent police closing the cruiser door.

Officers noted a bruise on the woman forehead, and minor cuts and bruises on the juveniles.  The woman and the teens were transported to Boston Medical Center for evaluation.

“It’s frightening for anyone to be attacked in such a manner, and particularly tragic when children are attacked and are forced to protect their parent or their siblings.  Our prosecutors and victim witness advocates are well-equipped to give these victims all the help and support they need as this case moves forward,” Hayden said.

The victims of any crime, including domestic violence, should call 911 in an emergency.  SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020.  SafeLink is answer by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

Help is also available for members of our LGBTQ+ community experiencing domestic or intimate partner violence through The Network/La Red by calling 617-742-4911 or 800-832-1901.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications

SCDAO