Five Arrested After Brawl at Dorchester District Court
The arrests follow a courtroom fight that exposed gaps in courthouse safety when a handcuffed detainee assaulted another person and struck an officer with saliva.
Overview
- A fight broke out on the second floor of Dorchester District Court, which police say occurred Wednesday at about 10:04 a.m., and officers from multiple agencies moved in to separate the parties.
- Police moved five males to a courthouse holding area while they awaited transport, and one handcuffed detainee kicked another detainee and then missed a spit attempt that hit an officer.
- Authorities arrested five people and identified them as Syncere Johnson, 19; Damontay Brown, 20; Shamar Passley-Clark, 19; Terrel Stokes, 19; and a 17-year-old male from Dorchester.
- All five face charges of affray and disrupting court proceedings, and the 17-year-old additionally faces assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer.
- The incident briefly disrupted court operations and raises questions about courthouse security as the suspects move through the criminal process; affray is the charge used when fighting disturbs judicial functions.