Man Bites Transit Police Officer At Back Bay: TPD

BACK BAY, MA – A man accused of trying to enter the T at Back Bay without paying allegedly bit a responding Transit Police officer, police said. Michael Chadwick, 36, faces charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Police said Chadwick and another man, 20-year-old Cormac Paine-O'Brien, were at Back Bay Station around 10:45 a.m. Paine-O'Brien allegedly attempted to evade his fare by piggybacking behind a paying customer. When an MBTA employee approached him and asked that he pay his fare, Chadwick "aggressively" went from gate to gate attempting to force one open, police said.

Chadwick then allegedly threw his bag to the ground and "menacingly" approached the MBTA employee. A Transit Police officer at Back Bay attempted to intervene, but police said the men refused to identify themselves and Chadwick continued to be disorderly.

The officer told both men they were under arrest, and Chadwick allegedly assaulted him and bit him on the head. Chadwick was brought under control and arrested.

The officer was taken to the hospital and treated for a laceration to his head.

"Transit Police officers bravely put their lives on the line everyday to provide the safest system as possible. This was a horrendous unprovoked attack on our officer," TPD Superintendent Richard Sullivan said in a statement. "We are very grateful, after some time and rest, he will have a full recovery. Speaking on behalf of the Transit Police Department we extremely proud in the professional manner in which our officer handled the incident. He has our 100 percent support. We will follow this case to ensure the defendant is held fully accountable for his actions."

Paine-O'Brien was also arrested and charged with refusing to identify self after fare evading. He and Chadwick both told police they were homeless.

Photo of Michael Chadwick via TPD