Bystander video: Mass. officer pinned by own cruiser trying to stop fight

By Ryan Mancini
masslive.com

WORCESTER, Mass. — A viral online video shows a Worcester police officer getting pinned by his own cruiser against a parked car while responding to a fight between two men a couple of yards away.

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On Aug. 8, just before 12 a.m., police were notified of a fight near the corner of Franklin and Church streets, Worcester police spokesperson Joseph Cersosimo told MassLive.

Furthermore, the fight was at the southeast corner of the Worcester Common and next to the Burnside Fountain, according to the video shared on Instagram and shot from an apartment window along Franklin Street.

The cruiser is seen turning right onto Franklin Street from Church Street. As he starts to turn, a man is seen using a trash can lid to strike another man.

The officer pulls up next to the sidewalk and steps out of the cruiser and closes the door. But the cruiser continues to move forward. The officer runs to the front of the cruiser to push it back as it heads for the rear end of a car parked along the street. The cruiser stops, pinning the officer.

Two bystanders ran up to the officer, followed by two more officers, according to the video. One of the bystanders entered the cruiser and put it in reverse, which freed the pinned officer. The officer was pinned for about 20 seconds.

“I saw the car going. As soon as I saw that it stopped, that’s when I just ran and helped him out,” that bystander, Oscar Sanchez, told WCVB-TV. “He gave me the key, I jumped in the car and put it in reverse and that was it.”

All the while, the fight continues on the sidewalk near the fountain. Officers arrested Anthony Watson, 37, who was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

As police arrest Watson, they can be seen pushing him to his knees as his head falls forward into the trash can lid, which one of the officers quickly pulls away, according to the video.

The officer was not hurt and there was no damage to his cruiser, Cersosimo said. The other man in the fight was treated at the scene and was not severely injured.

The incident remains under investigation, Cersosimo added.

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