Hatchet Wielding Veteran Prevented from Harming Himself: Police

By FRANK O’LAUGHLIN (Patch Staff)

A potential disastrous situation onboard an MBTA bus was avoided Wednesday thanks to a swift-acting Boston police officer.

Around 12:30 p.m., the driver was forced to pull the bus over in the area of Columbia Road and Stoughton Street, after a 52-year-old man claiming to be a veteran threatened to harm himself with a hatchet, police said. Fortunately, the driver was able to flag down a nearby officer working construction detail.

After calling for backup, the officer boarded the bus and noticed a white male holding the blade to his neck. In an effort to de-escalate the tense situation, the officer engaged the man in conversation. The individual soon told police that he was a veteran after he was encouraged to drop the weapon.

One officer respectfully responded, “Thank you for your service.” Upon hearing the compliment, the individual dropped the hatchet and walked off the bus under his own power and into an ambulance.

“When the guy mentioned he was a veteran, thanking him for his service on Veteran’s Day just seemed like the right thing to say and, maybe, it was the thing he needed to hear,” said Police Captain Haseeb Hosein. “The goal on a call like this is for everyone to go home safe and, thankfully, today everybody did.”

Four passengers were on the bus when the incident unfolded, according to MBTA officials. The hatchet was seized by police officers.