A man was hospitalized with serious injuries early Monday after detonating a device near a Boston firehouse in Charlestown, following a confrontation with police that ended with officers using beanbag rounds and 40mm impact rounds. The incident unfolded around 1 a.m. in a parking lot near Main and Mishawum streets, according to Boston police.
Officers encountered a man holding a wired device, according to WCVB. Police said he claimed the device contained explosives in a pill case hanging around his neck and threatened to detonate it. The police report also described statements about the persecution of witches and conspiracy theories involving the U.S. government.
The confrontation happened near a Boston firehouse in Charlestown.
Police Response and Investigation
Officers used beanbag rounds and 40mm impact rounds during the confrontation, and a police K-9 assisted in apprehending the man. At some point, he detonated the device, according to the report. Investigators also found and searched a van that he had claimed contained explosives.
The man sustained serious injuries to his chest, neck and wrist and was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital.
It is not the first time Boston officers have relied on beanbag rounds to defuse a potential explosion in Charlestown. In April 2018, police in the neighborhood deployed similar less-lethal tactics to disarm an emotionally disturbed suspect who had barricaded himself inside a Walford Way apartment and tried to ignite a severed gas line with a lighter, according to WHDH 7News.
According to WCVB's report, the man faces charges of possession of an explosive device and discharging or igniting explosives. Police also planned to search his home as part of the investigation.
Under Massachusetts law, offenses involving explosive devices and explosives can carry criminal penalties.
What broader records show
National records illustrate the range of incidents handled as explosives-related events. According to the United States Bomb Data Center, its Bomb Arson Tracking System recorded 17,968 such incidents nationwide in 2018, including explosions, recoveries, suspicious packages, bomb threats, hoaxes and explosives thefts or losses.
Boston police responded to the incident in Charlestown.
