BOSTON — Two teenagers are facing serious charges after a Boston police cruiser was set ablaze during a chaotic street takeover early Sunday morning.
Julian Bowers, 18, and William Cantwell, 19, both of Rhode Island, are slated to be arraigned Monday in Roxbury District Court on charges including assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest, and malicious destruction of property, according to the Boston Police Department.
The incident, which unfolded around 2 a.m. at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Street in the city’s South End section, involved a crowd of more than 100 people.
Boston police say the group threw fireworks, traffic cones, poles, and other objects at cruisers during the “large-scale vehicle takeover.”
“It was crazy. There was fire everywhere, there were cop cars for probably a mile down,” said Laila Dellorso, who lives nearby.
Witness Simran Nalhatra described the scene as loud and frightening, with one calling it “like a riot.”
“It was like a riot, and then we saw someone get arrested, and we looked to our right, and there was this cop car on fire,” Nalhatra recalled. “It was really scary. I was like, I don’t know why it was so loud, and everyone’s screaming, and it went on for an hour or two.”
No serious injuries were reported.
Over in Randolph, less than an hour earlier, police reported another vehicle takeover at the intersection of Oak and North Main streets, where police cruisers were also targeted by a crowd of more than 100 people.
Randolph police say their officers were in extreme danger as the individuals sat on the hoods of their cars while they tried driving away.
It’s unclear whether these takeovers in both Randolph and Boston were connected.
An investigation is ongoing.
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