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August 08, 2008
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Mass. officer thwarts grab for his gun
Praised for quick response to a potential suicide By Milton J. Valencia
The Boston Globe BOSTON — An Arlington police officer was praised yesterday for quick thinking in subduing a man who tried to take his gun from its holster in an apparent suicide attempt. Police Officer Brandon Kindle, a 12-year veteran of the force, was supervising a construction site on Massachusetts Avenue about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when the man approached on a bicycle, dismounted, and rushed toward the officer, shouting suicidal and homicidal remarks, police said. "It's abundantly clear in this case that the suspect's intent was to kill himself and anyone else who got in the way of that goal by taking the officer's firearm," Police Chief Frederick Ryan said. "The officer reacted by using his training experience to secure that firearm and prevent his attacker from achieving his goal." The man, Albert Sweet, was charged with assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. At a hearing yesterday in Cambridge District Court, Judge Severlin Singleton ordered the 38-year-old Lexington man sent to a secure Department of Mental Health facility to have his mental competency assessed. Sweet is known to police and has a history of suicide attempts, police said. Sweet is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 26, said Jessica Venezia, a spokeswoman for the Middlesex district attorney. Kindle, 44, was supervising the construction site when Sweet came at him, Ryan said. The chief said that the incident shows that no police matter can be considered routine. "It's part of a police officer's job, but the case illustrates the difficult jobs police officers do every day," Ryan said. "Just when you think your assignment to direct traffic is a matter of routine, it can quickly become a life or death struggle as it did in this case." Kindle was not made available for comment. Ryan said the officer is fine, but that the department has offered him support and counseling in accordance with department policy. "This was a traumatic event for the officer, and the department will support him and manage this situation as we move forward," Ryan said. Bruce Ferg, a Cambridge lawyer representing Sweet, said the case was "an unfortunate situation," but he had no further comment. Copyright 2008 The Boston Globe
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