Boston juvenile girl held for 60 days after MBTA assault on elderly man
BOSTON, November 16, 2023 – A 15-year-old girl from Boston has been ordered held for 60 days after being charged today in West Roxbury Juvenile Court with assaulting and injuring an 84-year-old man at the Forest Hills MBTA Station Tuesday, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
The juvenile is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (shod foot) on a person over 65. The judge ordered $500 bail on the new charge and an additional $500 bail on an existing unarmed robbery charge. The judge ordered the prior bail revoked for 60 days, and also ordered the girl to stay away from the victim, stay away from Forest Hills station, and submit to GPS monitoring.
The juvenile will return to court December 4 for a probable cause hearing.
On Tuesday at about 8:54 p.m. MBTA police responded to the upper busway at Forest Hills station for a report of an elderly male assaulted and injured. When they arrived they found the victim on the ground bleeding from his forehead. Three MBTA patrons—two doctors and a medical student—were rendering aid to the victim.
The victim, who remained conscious after the assault, was transported to Brigham and Women’s Hospital for evaluation and treatment.
Police on the scene learned that the man had been assaulted by a group of juveniles. Video surveillance showed a group of juvenile males and females exit a bus and congregate at the entrance to the station. As the victim walked by the group, several juveniles began to walk closely behind him. Then a female juvenile positioned herself behind the victim, kicked his legs and intentionally tripped him, causing him to fall forward onto his forehead.
Police were able to identify the juvenile through archival surveillance video. On Wednesday at about 2:45 p.m. MBTA police observed the juvenile walking toward the JFK/UMass MBTA Station. Police stopped and arrested the juvenile, who was wearing the same jeans and jacket as in the attack video.
“The quick work by MBTA police in identifying and apprehending the juvenile responsible for this entirely unprovoked attack sends a direct message to anyone contemplating such intolerable crimes—you will be identified, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications