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When a woman tried to collect on a $100 bet, the debtor went to get his gun, police said. Pretty soon, the SWAT team was breaking down his door.
Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer Joe Avery:
The dispute began around 11 p.m. in the apartment building at 234 Ellsworth Ave. A 34-year-old man in the apartment refused to make good on a $100 bet he had lost to a woman. Police said he told her he didn’t have the money, then offered to give her his gun and keys as collateral until Thursday. She refused, and he assaulted her. Then he reportedly said he was going to get his gun and “light the building up.”
He ran into his apartment and the woman called the cops. When police arrived, there was no answer at the door of the apartment. SWAT was called in.
Lt. Ray Hassett, team leader for the hostage negotiation unit, said SWAT also did not get a response when they knocked on the door. They broke the door down with a battering ram. Two men were arrested — the 35-year-old and a 30-year-old inside who was found to be in violation of parole.
“These guys were very uncooperative,” Hassett said. “They told us they were asleep.”
Police did not find any weapons, Hassett said. The incident ended around 2:30 a.m.
8 Arrested
In other crime news, police made eight arrests on Monday, according to Avery:
A woman was mugged at 6 p.m. on Whitney Avenue on Monday. She told police that a man grabbed her arm and demanded money. She handed over $8 and her ATM card. Police caught the mugger just minutes later at Gourmet Heaven on Whitney Avenue.
Police caught four burglars in the act at 9:20 p.m. at 1459 State St. on Monday. An anonymous caller reported a burglary in progress. When police arrived, they found four men trying to flee through a side window. Officers found a bag next to the door that contained a camcorder, discs, and other items.
Officers patrolling the Hill neighborhood on Monday spotted a car stolen on Sunday. The driver of the car refused to pull over and a pursuit ensued. The stolen car crashed on Burwell Street. Three occupants of the vehicle were caught after a brief foot chase.
Foot Chase, Gun Seized
Around Monday at 7:45, police said, officers arrested a 17-year-old man after he fled from them and dropped a Taurus .38 special behind a hedged fence. Patrol officers had spotted him around Norton and Derby, “walking, favoring the right side of his body.” They said they saw him “pull an object from his right torso and slip it into the sleeve of his jacket, before dropping it behind” the fence. At first the officers talked to him. Then he fled, and they caught him on Winthrop.