Man Attacks Mass. Police Station with Chainsaw, Barricades Self in House

By Will Katcher

Source masslive.com

A Cohasset man is in custody after attempting to break into the town police department headquarters using a chainsaw before barricading himself at his home with two small children, authorities said.

Cohasset Police said officers rushed to the front of the department headquarters Sunday afternoon as a man, later identified as 35-year-old Brien Buckley, “was chopping at the security door” with a chainsaw. He drove home as police arrived, shuttered himself inside, and dangled a pair of young children from a second-story window, the police department said — kickstarting an hours-long standoff with hostage negotiators.

Hours later, police said they stormed the home, tased and arrested Buckley. He is expected to appear in Quincy District Court on Monday on a dozen charges.

Around 2:30 p.m. Sunday, a civilian desk attendant at the police department headquarters made a “frantic” call to officers, Cohasset police said — a man had driven a truck over the building’s lawn, hit a tree and carried a chainsaw into the headquarters lobby. He was cutting at the security door between the lobby and where the attendant sat, attempting to break past the barrier, police said.

Police said Buckley returned to his car and drove from the scene, after damaging the door and mail packages, as officers arrived. Police followed Buckley to his residence on Cushing Road in Cohasset, where they said he yelled at officers from inside the home and dangled a pair of small children from a second-story window.

Both children were under 5 years old, Cohasset Police Chief William Quigley said.

With Buckley refusing to leave the home, police said they called for support from officers in Hingham, Hull, Scituate and Norwell, as well as a SWAT team and hostage negotiators from the Metropolitan Law Enforcement Council, a regional coalition of police departments.

Hours of negotiations later, police said Buckley became “more erratic” and posed a danger to the children inside the home with him.

Police entered the home and tased Buckley, they said. The children were reunited with their mother and grandfather outside, Cohasset police said.

Buckley will face 12 charges, including assault by means of a dangerous weapon with a chainsaw and two counts of child endangerment. He was held overnight Sunday without bail pending a hearing in district court in Quincy.

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