Man armed with butcher knife arrested after struggle with police at Forest Hills MBTA station

One person was arrested and six people, including two transit police officers, were taken to hospitals after an incident at the Forest Hills MBTA station in Jamaica Plain, according to Boston Emergency Medical Service (EMS).

On Friday, around 11:15 a.m., transit police responded to the Forest Hills bus station for reports of a man armed with a butcher knife threatening to stab a bus driver and the wheels of the bus, according to Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan. When police responded they found the suspect and a struggle ensued.

7NEWS obtained video of the incident showing transit police take down the armed suspect. During the struggle, authorities said the man with the knife lunged at one of the officers and tried to grab his gun. Police said an officer’s weapon discharged but no one was struck. Police are investigating how the weapon was discharged.

The initial officer involved suffered a knee injury and was taken to a hospital. A second officer involved was also taken to a hospital.

“This was a violent person armed with a butcher knife. We’re not talking about a little pocket knife. This was a butcher knife, (someone) that was threatening someone to stab them and he was trying to stab tires on the bus,” Sullivan said.

Riley McMullen lives across the street from where it happened. She ran outside to see what was going on.

“I was just getting off a work call, heard a shot, heard a scream and looked out the window. I saw someone down in the busway and someone was tending to them,” McMullen said. “There were people still standing there so I wasn’t sure what was happening. Immediately there were sirens and a ton of police cars pulled up and ran out and were tending to the person on the ground.”

The Forest Hills Upper Busway was temporarily closed but has since reopened.

The suspect is facing several charges including armed assault, and is expected to be arraigned next week.