Following an alarming incident at the Forest Hills MBTA Station, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden has announced assault charges against seven individuals. According to a statement on the Suffolk County District Attorney website, among those charged is 18-year-old Lucas Goncalves-Depina, along with six juveniles whose names have not been released due to their ages.
Goncalves-Depina, who was accused on January 15 of assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, specifically a shod foot, has been released on personal recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in West Roxbury BMC for a pre-trial hearing on February 21. Meanwhile, five juveniles aged 14 to 16 are facing similar charges and will return to Dorchester Juvenile Court on March 14. A sixth juvenile, aged 12, is facing charges and will be arraigned at a yet-to-be-determined date.
The victim, a 13-year-old boy, reported to hospital authorities and MBTA Transit police that the assault occurred early morning on January 14. The altercation began on a bus when a female juvenile accused him of spreading rumors about her. After both disembarked at Forest Hills Station, the situation escalated. The female struck the boy multiple times with a closed fist, which then led to him being surrounded by a group of juveniles who continued the assault with kicks and punches.
Intervening in the assault, two adult witnesses managed to stop the violence, with one utilizing his bicycle to create a barrier between the attackers and the victim. According to the statement by Hayden on the Suffolk County District Attorney website, "It’s easy for any caring person to imagine the fear this boy must have felt during such a vicious attack." The attack resulted in the boy suffering multiple lacerations and bruising. Following the altercation, investigators reviewed surveillance footage, which corroborated the victim and witnesses' accounts. The footage led to the identification and subsequent detention of Goncalves-Depina and the other juveniles when they returned to the station later that day.
