Boston Police Use 'Less Lethal' Shotgun To Subdue, Arrest Armed Man

Boston police say they heard reports of a man with a knife running down Winter Street towards Washington Street Saturday night. According to police, an eyewitness said the man approached them and began swinging a knife at them. Police later identified the man as Kenneth Kelley of Londonderry, New Hampshire.

Police found a man matching this description, pacing back and forth in the intersection of Winter and Washington Streets, and confirmed that he had a knife. The officers told him to drop the knife and get down on the ground, but he fled up Washington Street toward Franklin Street.

In what police said was a “lengthy foot pursuit through the streets of Downtown Boston,” the armed man said he was innocent and told police to shoot him. Police used pepper spray on the suspect, who ignored their commands to drop the weapon, they said.

Police then fired at the man with a “less lethal” bean bag shotgun and arrested him. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

A video posted to Live Boston’s Twitter account early Sunday morning depicts the incident. The video appears to show the officer raise the shotgun and fire four times as the suspect begins to flee. The suspect falls to the ground, where police tackle him.