A man accused of stabbing his co-worker with a knife inside a grocery store in Boston's Mattapan neighborhood appeared in court on Wednesday.
Trevor Charlton, 47, of Hyde Park, was arrested Tuesday night after allegedly fleeing the scene of the incident -- the Star Market on River Street. He appeared in Dorchester District Court Wednesday for an arraignment on an assault and battery with a dangerous weapon charge. He was ordered held on $10,000 bail and told to stay away from the victim and the store.
The victim of the stabbing, identified as 34-year-old Richard Mason, was taken to Carney Hospital in Dorchester with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. Prosecutors said he was stabbed in the abdomen.
A spokesperson for the grocery store released a statement saying in part, "At Shaw’s and Star Market, we work diligently to provide a safe shopping and workplace environment."
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"I walked in the store, there were 2 BPD officers at the deli area," shopper Chris Rosado said. "There was two with a person of interest who had his hands behind his back. They were sitting talking to him. There was another officer behind the deli counter talking to another Star Market employee.”
Charlton was seen wearing a Star Market uniform and badge when he was placed under arrest around 3:30 p.m. It was unclear if he had obtained an attorney that could speak to his criminal charge.
According to court documents, Mason told police the incident started as an argument where co-workers accused him of not doing his work. He said the altercation escalated and he was jumped by four or five other people. He didn't even realize he had been stabbed until he saw the wound, according to police.
He then identified the person who stabbed him as "Kirk", an alias used by Charlton.
Prosecutors said Charlton admitted to police that he tackled Mason, got on top of him and pressed his thumbs into the victim's eyes before co-workers broke up the fight. The store's video footage shows Charlton grabbing a large knife and walking toward Mason before being stopped by another co-worker. The footage shows Charlton dropping the knife, waiting about a minute, and then picking up a different object and rushing toward Mason again.
A pre-trial date was set for June 14.
