From: Christopher P. Reddy – Chief of Police
To: Commanding Officers, All Divisions
Please Read at all Roll Calls
I would like to commend the following officers for displaying the highest level of professionalism and dedication to duty during their response to a life-threatening stabbing incident at a chaotic and violent scene
- Officer James Atkins
- Officer Daniel Keough
- Officer Sean Wlasuk
On January 1, 2023, at approximately 0749 hours, the station received multiple calls reporting a disturbance and possible fight at a Summer Street address. Responding units were advised that there was a lot of blood; and that two males were observed fleeing the building, one individual wearing a green shirt, and the other a white shirt.
Upon arrival, Officer Sean Wlasuk and Officer James Atkins (Car 17) saw an adult male and two females walking away. The male was observed to have blood stains in the area of his buttocks. Officer Atkins exited the cruiser, and despite a language barrier and some initial resistance, he was able to persuade the victim to stop until EMS arrived to treat his injuries. This party was subsequently transported to the hospital for treatment of lacerations to his hand and buttocks.
At the same time, the two females were yelling and gesturing wildly as they proceeded back toward the Summer Street residence. Officer Wlasuk followed them inside, where he encountered multiple individuals, including one distraught woman who was screaming “My sister, please!” He then proceeded upstairs into the apartment, where he observed an adult female who was covered in blood. As Officer Wlasuk approached, she suddenly collapsed to the floor and became unresponsive. Upon observing that she had a significant laceration to her left forearm, and was bleeding profusely; Officer Wlasuk immediately accessed the tourniquet from his duty belt and placed it high on the victim’s arm to control the bleeding. He was subsequently joined in the apartment by Officer Atkins and Officer Daniel Keough (Car 9) and they worked together to assess the unconscious victim to ensure that she was breathing, and to provide ongoing care.
As they continued to treat the victim, Officer Keough was alerted to a young male in an adjacent bedroom; and he ordered him to show his hands and exit. The party did not comply, and continued to blade his body while keeping his hands from view. Officer Keough drew his duty weapon and continued to give verbal commands. He was joined by Officer Wlasuk, while Officer Atkins continued to treat the injured woman. After a brief but tense standoff as the male attempted to shut the door, Officer Keough and Officer Wlasuk were able to push forward, gain control of the suspect and remove him from the room. It was later determined that this male was the bleeding victim’s son, and was not a suspect in the stabbing.
As Lynn Fire/EMS arrived to treat the injured woman, Officer Keough stood by with the victim’s son. Officer Wlasuk continued to conduct a protective sweep of the apartment, and he noted blood stains on the wall. He followed the trail of blood to a rear hallway where he observed an older woman slumped against the wall. He was then joined by Officer Keough again, as they assessed the woman and determined that she was intoxicated but unharmed.
As this was occurring, additional responding units received reports of a male with a white shirt running down Warren Street. Officer Ioan Rasinariu (Car 7) spotted a party with that description; and he and Officer Cory Burt were able to stop him on Warren Street. The officers observed that he had fresh blood stains on his shirt, hands, and forearms. The individual was uncooperative and evasive; but after further investigation it was determined that he could not be identified as a suspect and he was released.
Officer Hector Orellana and Officer Benjamin Chez were among the responding units to this chaotic scene, and despite many uncooperative witnesses; they worked quickly to interview the victims and bystanders in order to provide critical and timely information in an effort to determine what had occurred, while also attempting to gather a description of the suspect involved.
It was subsequently determined that the female victim’s boyfriend and two others came to the apartment; and an altercation occurred which resulted in her being stabbed. It was also determined that the male victim was stabbed when he attempted to intervene on her behalf. Despite these violent attacks, these victims would not fully cooperate with the investigators, thus preventing the suspect from being positively identified.
The officers responded to a chaotic incident involving a violent attack with multiple victims suffering from significant injuries, an expansive scene, and a language barrier which impeded their ability to identify suspects and circumstances of what had occurred. Despite those challenges, they remained composed, methodical and focused on saving lives, securing the scene and gathering facts and evidence.
Officer Sean Wlasuk, Officer James Atkins, and Officer Daniel Keough demonstrated the highest standards of courage, professionalism and dedication to duty, as they placed themselves at risk of harm. They exhibited strong tactics, while providing life-saving care to a seriously injured victim under extreme circumstances. I hereby order that they be commended for their actions, with a copy of this Commendation to be placed in each of their personnel files.
Officer Benjamin Chez and Officer Hector Orellana’s responded immediately and worked swiftly under challenging conditions to interview victims and witnesses, in order to provide timely information. about the circumstances of what occurred and descriptions of the suspects involved.
Officer Ioan Rasinariu and Officer Cory Burt immediately responded and located a potential suspect in proximity to the incident. Despite the suspect’s evasiveness, the officers remained composed and acted with professionalism by removing the suspect from the bitter cold until an identification procedure could be completed.
For their highly professional actions, I hereby order that Officer Benjamin Chez, Officer Hector Orellana, Officer Ioan Rasinariu and Officer Cory Burt be awarded a Letter of Recognition, to be placed in each of their personnel files.