An MBTA Transit Police officer trying to stop two men after they allegedly attempted to avoid paying fare was violently attacked and bit on the head by one of the men, police say.
Michael Chadwick, 36, is facing charges of aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Police said Chadwick and another man, 20-year-old Cormac Paine-O'Brien, tried to evade fare at the Back Bay station around 10:45 Monday morning.
Paine-O'Brien allegedly tried to piggyback behind a paying customer while Chadwick was trying to pry different fare gates open, police said.
An MBTA employee then approached Paine-O'Brien to get him to pay his fare and Chadwick allegedly threw down his bag and proceeded "menacingly" toward the employee.
At this point, the officer intervened and failed to get the men to calm down. After the officer told the men they were being arrested, Chadwick allegedly attacked the officer, biting him during the struggle.
Police eventually took both men, who claimed to be homeless, into custody.
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Paine-O'Brien was charged with refusing to identify himself to police.
The officer was taken to a local hospital with a cut to his head. His condition is currently unclear.
It’s not clear when the suspects will appear in court or if they have attorneys.
