A Boston man will face a dangerousness hearing Tuesday after authorities say he attacked a 59-year-old woman earlier this month who didn’t say “good morning” to him.
Ian Atkinson, 33, of Dorchester was charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (car) on July 20, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said. The judge ordered him to be held without bail and did not immediately rule on the prosecutor’s request to revoke bail on an existing assault and firearm possession case.
Around 9 a.m. Boston police officers responded to a report, where the victim had told them that while she was watering her lawn on July 13, Atkinson walked by her and swore at her for not saying good morning to him, Hayden said.
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The victim started to record Atkinson out of fear of his “aggressive” nature, Hayden said. Atkinson, who previously entered a black Mercedes parked nearby, left the car and began punching the victim.
Atkinson punched the woman at least seven times in the head, according to a home security surveillance video that police obtained. Atkinson then went back to his vehicle and drove away.
“The victim, who was bleeding profusely from her nose, was able to video the Mercedes’s license plate,” Hayden said. “She also told police she noticed Atkinson wearing what appeared to be a GPS tracking device.”
Officers tracked the license plate number that lead them to Atkinson’s Lucerne Street address, Hayden said. When they came to his home, officers found a different Mercedes than the one that was registered to Atkinson. Officers compared Atkinson’s license photo to the video of him captured on the victim’s phone. The victim also identified him in a photo array.
“Police also determined that Atkinson was wearing a GPS tracker under conditions of his existing case,” Hayden said. “Information from the tracker placed Atkinson directly at the Balsam Street location at the time of the assault.”
Atkinson was arrested several days after police obtained a warrant out for his arrest, Hayden said.
The woman was transported to Carney Hospital, Hayden said. She suffered from a fractured nose and a broken blood vessel in her left eye. The victim bit Atkinson’s shoulder during the attack, according to Hayden.
“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. “But it isn’t difficult to admire the bravery and alertness of this victim, and her presence of mind not only to get crucial video of her attacker but also to notice that he was strapped with a GPS device.”
