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A Boston police officer was left alone in a hostile crowd as people hurled drinks and debris at him while a dirt bike suspect broke free and escaped, according to police and the city’s largest police union.
The chaotic caught-on-camera confrontation first surfaced in a TikTok video posted by @noticiaboston. It happened around 9:24 p.m. on June 28 near Old Road and Ellington Street, where police said 100 to 150 people had flooded the area with loud music, drinking, lowriders, mopeds and dirt bikes.
Boston Police Department (BPD) Officer Jesse Kennedy had responded to a loud disturbance call and tried to disperse the crowd when he spotted a dirt bike with no rear plate, according to a police report obtained by The Boston Herald. When Kennedy approached the rider and grabbed the handlebars to check whether the bike was registered, the rider refused to get off and allegedly tried to pull away. Fox News Digital has requested the police report and additional information from BPD.
Video circulating on social media shows Kennedy surrounded as people appear to throw liquids, bottles and other objects while he struggles with the rider. At one point, glass can be heard smashing on the street.
Viral video shows Kennedy surrounded by the crowd as people appear to throw drinks, bottles and other objects while he struggles with the dirt bike rider, who eventually escapes. (Instagram/@noticiaboston)
“Go home,” someone yells in the video reviewed by Fox News Digital.
Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone told Fox News Digital the video shows exactly what rank-and-file officers are up against when staffing runs thin.
“He was all alone, and he had to go,” Calderone said.
He was all alone, and he had to go.
Kennedy had been assigned with another officer, but Calderone said that officer had trouble reaching him because of traffic, street takeovers and pedestrians blocking the way.
“It’s a matter of minutes,” Calderone said. “It probably doesn’t sound like much to the general public, but when you’re fighting an individual in a crowd, and you’re calling for help and nobody’s coming, that three minutes feels like an awful long time.”
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Boston Police working at the scene of a crime. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The union boss said BPD is “extremely short” on manpower and argued the incident was a symptom of a staffing crisis that has left officers dangerously outnumbered at the busiest time of year.
Calderone said the union is not blaming Mayor Michelle Wu, whom he credited with budgeting for and hiring roughly 100 officers a year during her time in office. Instead, he pointed to retirements, internal promotions and the City Council’s handling of police overtime.
“The blame is not with the mayor,” Calderone said. “The blame is with the City Council.”
Calderone claimed Boston’s patrol ranks remain dangerously depleted, saying prior department testimony to the City Council showed BPD was roughly 600 rank-and-file officers short. Fox News Digital has not independently verified Calderone’s staffing figures.
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Calderone said Boston police are dangerously understaffed, but blamed the City Council’s handling of overtime rather than Mayor Michelle Wu, whom he credited for funding new hires. (Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images)
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Calderone accused some councilors of trying to “defund the police” while neighborhoods deal with street takeovers, loud late-night parties and attacks on officers trying to keep the peace.
“Why aren’t they condemning these street takeovers, these loud, noisy parties, these assaults on their police officers who are trying to keep their neighborhoods safe?” Calderone said.
The union president said Boston traditionally uses overtime to put extra officers on the street when officials know about recurring problem areas.
“For some reason, this weekend, the department did not put any extra bodies out,” he said, claiming BPD “ran below their own minimum standards,” leaving Kennedy alone in the crowd.
“Thank goodness he and no innocent bystander was hurt,” Calderone said.
The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association also blasted the viral video on X, writing that “fewer cops means less safety.”
Boston police union boss Larry Calderone said the incident shows how badly understaffed BPD is during the city’s busiest season (iStock)
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Additional officers eventually arrived and cleared the crowd, according to the police report. The rider was not publicly identified in initial reports, and the police report did not note any arrests from the crowd.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mayor Wu’s office for comment, Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox and City Commissioner for District Four Brian Worrell’s office for comment.
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