Lawyer is attacked by man wielding hatchet, bug spray; relative of client is arrested
Police have arrested a 53-year-old construction worker in a hatchet attack Tuesday evening on a lawyer in a Quincy, Massachusetts, parking garage.
Police arrested Michael Kelly of Quincy on Thursday. He is a relative of a probate client represented by the lawyer, who was not identified by police, report WHDH, WCVB and the Patriot Ledger. WHDH said the lawyer is 63, while the other reports said he is in his 60s.
The suspect dropped the hatchet during a struggle and then sprayed the lawyer with bug spray, Quincy Police Lt. Jeffery Burrell told WHDH. The lawyer, who survived the attack, had eight or nine cuts on his head, Burrell said. He needed 20 staples to close the wounds, according to WCVB.
The lawyer was in fair condition at Boston Medical Center and could be released soon, Police Detective Lt. John Steele told the Patriot-Ledger on Thursday.
Steele told WCVB that the lawyer “struggled and put up a pretty good fight. To his credit, he was actually able to get the hatchet away from the man and lie on top of it.”
Kelly is charged with attempted murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a man over 60 years old, according to the Patriot-Ledger. Police arrested Kelly based on photo of a fleeing car taken by a witness.
Someone posted video of the lawyer moments after the attack, but the person who recorded it did not contact police, according to WCVB.
Hat tip to Above the Law, which linked to the video.
