Wakefield Officer Man Bit, Assaulted Security Guard, Prosecutor Says

A Wakefield man is facing charges that he assaulted a security guard and threatened to blow up a store, according to prosecutors.

Jun 12, 2024 11:43 am EDT

BOSTON, MA — A Wakefield man is facing charges that he assaulted a security guard, threatened to blow up a store and bit a police officer, according to prosecutors.

Police responded to the Primark store in Boston’s Downtown Crossing at 4:42 p.m. Saturday. Police saw a man, later identified as Williams Rodriguez-Juarez, 24, causing a disturbance and yelling at employees inside the store, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.

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Before police arrived, Rodriguez-Juarez was in the loading dock, an employee-only area. When store staff asked him to leave, Rodriguez-Juarez began yelling, screaming and making sexually inappropriate statements to employees and customers, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez-Juarez then became aggressive and tried to leave with the store’s merchandise while threatening to “blow this place up,” according to prosecutors.

Rodriguez-Juarez then assaulted a security guard by putting his hands behind his back and shouting “you have to arrest him”. Officers gave Rodriguez-Juarez verbal commands to release the security guard, and Rodriguez-Juarez immediately resisted arrest, punching and pushing the officers, prosecutors said.

When arrested, Rodriguez-Juarez turned his head and bit an officer on the left arm, causing the skin to break and bleed. After several minutes of Rodriguez-Juarez kicking, biting and punching officers, more officers arrived and were able to subdue Rodriguez-Juarez, according to prosecutors.

The police officer who suffered the bite was evaluated by emergency medical services.

Rodriguez-Juarez was charged with unarmed robbery, bomb threat or hijacking, assault and battery on a police officer, strangulation or suffocation, trespassing, resisting arrest and three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (shod foot) .

Bail was set at $500, and Rodriguez-Juarez was ordered by a judge to stay away from Downtown Crossing. He is due back in court on August 12.