A Boston police officer shot a suspect with a "non-lethal bean bag" after the man reportedly threatened people with a knife, according to Boston police.
Police said that officers were responding to a call on Huntington Avenue reporting that the man, identified Tuesday night as 39-year-old Carmen Polito of Brockton, was threatening bystanders.
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Polito's injuries were not life-threatening, according to police, and he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Viewer video obtained by NBC10 Boston shows what appears to be police chasing the man and the moment the bean bag was shot, causing him to fall down.
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"We were sitting up in our room," said Northeastern student Abigail Klinge. "I heard someone shout 'drop the knife.'"
Several students watched the incident from their windows and recorded multiple cell phone videos of the wild encounter.
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"We looked outside," said Klinge. "A man was being surrounded by about 20 police officers who had guns that shoot the bean bags. The man was obviously agitated, he was running around, flailing the knife."
"They fired one shot and it hit him and he immediately recoiled,” said Klinge "In the intersection of Mass Ave and Huntington they surrounded him again and shot him again with the bean bag."
"I’m glad the police got here quickly to control the situation," said Northeastern student Aidan Kane. "Definitely scary to see."
Police say Polito faces two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a charge of resisting arrest, as well two outstanding warrants out of Cambridge. He is expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court.
It was not immediately clear if Polito had an attorney.
