Randolph man charged with threatening woman with hypodermic needle

BOSTON, May 8, 2024 – A man with a 19-page arrest record was ordered held on $2,500 bail in addition to a bail revocation on a different case after he was arraigned this week in BMC Central for threatening to stab a woman with a hypodermic needle at a bus stop on Monday, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

MARQUIS ALEXANDER, 32, of Randolph was charged with assault with hypodermic, possession of heroin (subsequent offense) and possession of a class E drug (subsequent offense).

Judge James Stanton ordered Alexander held on $2,500 bail and to stay away from the location of offense. Judge Stanton also revoked Alexander’s bail on a pending Roxbury case in which he is charged with possession with intent to distribute Class A, Class B, and Class C drugs. He will return to BMC Central on June 5 for a probable cause hearing.

At about 1:02 p.m., an MBTA police officer assigned to a traffic detail at Atlantic Avenue and Essex Street was approached by a woman who said a person just tried to stab her with a needle.  The woman pointed to a man, later identified as Alexander. The woman said she was sitting in the Silver Line bus stop on Essex Street when Alexander asked her for the time but she did not respond. Alexander then said to her “I know I am on drugs, but you can still talk to me” and raised a hypodermic syringe and said “If I stab you with this needle full of blood.” The woman immediately fled the scene.

When the officer approached, Alexander appeared to be concealing an object the officer believed to be a hypodermic needle with his right hand in his sweatshirt pocket. The officer ordered Alexander to drop the needle.  Alexander complied. 

Upon further search of Alexander, officers recovered two additional needles, a silver gum wrapper containing a brown substance believed to be heroin, and a clear plastic bag officers believed to contain crushed narcotic pills.

Alexander has a 19-page board of probation record dating back to 2003 and has been convicted of numerous violent and drug distribution offenses out of Boston, Brockton, and Quincy. He was convicted in Suffolk Superior in 2019 for unarmed robbery and sentenced to three years in state prison.

“Personal safety and security of place are our goals for all residents and visitors to Boston, whether they’re walking to work, shopping, sitting in a restaurant or waiting at a bus stop. We know that repeat offenders can have a pronounced role in degrading neighborhood quality of life, and we will continue our focus on holding them accountable,” 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