Boston man accused of attacking security guard at movie theater
Dorchester MA March 29 2023
A Boston man is being held pending a dangerousness hearing after being charged with assaulting a security guard during a disturbance at an AMC Movie Theater in Dorchester, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Tuesday.
Two of the man’s daughters were also arrested in the incident.
Freddie Bates, 47, was charged Monday with carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, assault and battery, affray, trespassing, and disorderly conduct, Hayden said in a statement.
Judge Pamela Dashiell ordered Bates held pending a March 30 dangerousness hearing.
At 8:25 p.m. on Friday, Boston police responded to a call to remove a belligerent patron from the AMC Movie Theater at 25 District Avenue in Dorchester, Hayden said. Theater staff told officers that Bates, in the theater with his four daughters, made female employees uncomfortable with various comments, including asking them out on dates. Theater security asked Bates to leave after he became aggressive and started screaming profanities at one of the guards.
With Boston police on scene, Bates ran up to one of the guards and punched him in the face, Hayden said. While the two men were involved in a physical altercation, two of Bates’s daughters punched the guard. The guard’s firearm fell off his waistband and was later found outside in a balled-up jacket held by one of Bates’s daughters. Officers returned the firearm to the security guard after confirming he was properly licensed.
While searching Bates after his arrest, officers seized a Hopkins & Allen .22-caliber pistol loaded with five rounds, Hayden said. One of the two daughters who had earlier punched the security guard became angry seeing her father in handcuffs and spit at the guard.
Both juvenile daughters were arrested and arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court, Hayden said. One of the juveniles, 16, was charged with larceny of a firearm, assault and battery, possession of a firearm without a license and possession of ammunition without a license. The other juvenile, 17, was charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct.
Bates has a 25-page criminal record, with convictions for violent and non-violent offenses including assault and battery, indecent assault and battery, larceny, illegal firearm possession and violating a probation order, Hayden said.
“It is disturbing that this individual’s behavior, with his daughters present, resulted in physical violence and multiple arrests. The presence of an illegal firearm makes the incident even more frightening. I applaud the security guards for the restraint they showed in their efforts to de-escalate the situation. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, and the licensed firearm was quickly recovered,” Hayden said.
