BOSTON — A Boston man is being held without bail after investigators say he viciously attacked a woman who didn’t say “good morning” to him earlier this month.
Ian Atkinson, 33, of Dorchester, is slated to appear Tuesday in the Dorchester division of Boston Municipal Court for a dangerousness hearing after he was charged last week with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (car), according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
Officers responding to a report of an assault on Balsam Street in Dorchester on the morning of July 13 spoke with a woman who said she was watering her lawn when Atkinson, who is unknown to her, walked by and allegedly started cursing at her for not saying good morning to him.
The victim, fearing for her safety, started videotaping Atkinson with her phone. Prosecutors said Atkinson then advanced on the victim and began punching her.
Home security surveillance video obtained by police shows Atkinson punching the victim at least seven times in the head, according to prosecutors. The video then shows Atkinson return to his Mercedes, put it in reverse, and allegedly swerve in the victim’s direction before driving away.
The victim, who was bleeding profusely from her nose, was able to video Atkinson’s license plate and notice that he was wearing what appeared to be a GPS tracking device, investigators noted.
Officers ultimately ran Atkinson’s plate and tracked him to an address on Lucerne Street. Information from his tracker is said to have directly linked him to the incident on Balsam Street.
Prosecutors said that the victim was taken to Carney Hospital, where it was determined that she suffered a fractured nose and a subconjunctival hemorrhage to her left eye.
“It’s difficult to comprehend the viciousness and randomness of such an attack, in this case on a stranger doing nothing more than watering her lawn. All over a perceived—and perhaps nonexistent—slight,” Hayden said in a statement. “But it isn’t difficult to admire the bravery and alertness of this victim, and her presence of mind not only to get a crucial video of her attacker but also to notice that he was strapped with a GPS device.”
There is also an existing assault and firearm possession case against Atkinson, according to prosecutors.
An investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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