Quincy woman charged with assaulting pizza shop owner
BOSTON, April 3, 2025 – A Quincy woman was arraigned Wednesday in BMC Central after trying to steal from a pizza shop then assaulting the owner after she was asked to leave, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
NINA BENOIT, 33, of Quincy was charged with armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Judge James Coffey ordered Benoit held on $2,500 bail and to stay away from the restaurant. Benoit is due back in court on April 17 for a probable cause hearing.
At about 5:30 p.m. on April 1, Boston police responded to the Pizza Stop at 851 Harrison Avenue for a disturbance call and observed an unknown female, later identified as Benoit, sitting outside.
An officer met with the restaurant owner who stated Benoit was not purchasing anything and causing a disturbance inside. The owner asked Benoit to leave multiple times but she did not comply. Benoit then attempted to steal multiple bags of chips from the front counter. The owner confronted Benoit and tried to remove her from the restaurant. Benoit then pulled out a silver multi-tool pocket knife and waved it multiple times at the victim. The victim sustained a four to six inch laceration to his right forearm.
The victim was treated by Boston EMS on scene.
Multiple witnesses in the restaurant corroborated the victim’s account and reported seeing a physical confrontation between the victim and Benoit which resulted in the victim getting injured. One witness reported observing the victim try to restrain Benoit until police arrived.
Benoit told police she was defending herself because someone inside was “choking her.”
Benoit was convicted and sentenced to the House of Correction for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in 2017 and assault and battery on a police officer, causing serious bodily injury in 2018, both out of Norfolk County.
“It is always frightening to see a disturbance or altercation escalate and rise to violence. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workplaces, and our business owners and their customers should be able to go about their daily lives without encountering dangerous situations,” Hayden said.
Hayden’s office, the Boston Police department, and regional retailer groups and small business owners in 2024 launched the Safe Shopping Initiative, an effort to increase consumer safety and help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies. The initiative formed amid increasing national and local frustrations around retail crime, along with concerns over the closure of several pharmacies serving minority communities in Boston.
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