Crime & Safety

Gun Scare on MBTA Bus in Arlington Center

See what had passengers running for cover late Sunday afternoon.

A man carrying what appeared to be a handgun had passengers on an MBTA bus in Arlington Center yelling and running for cover late Sunday afternoon.

Six Arlington Police officers responded to the bus, which had been pulled over in front of Shanghai Village restaurant at 434 Massachusetts Ave., at about 4:29 p.m. for a report of a man with a gun. The man had exited the bus and walked away from the scene by the time police arrived, according to the police report.

After a short search, police located the suspect walking on Broadway, toward Somerville, and determined that the handgun-like object was actually a BB gun, specifically a Powerline Airstrike 240 (photo examples). The BB gun was loaded, and the man also had a canister of .24-caliber BBs and a container of 100 Winchester Super-X High Velocity .22 Long Rifle ammunition cartridges, police said.

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Police arrested the suspect, John P. Hudson, 45, of Burlington, for disorderly conduct, for being in possession of ammunition without a proper license and on three active court warrants.

A female passenger on the bus first noticed Hudson with the aluminum gun. She told police that she was sitting diagonally behind him and that he was holding the gun on his lap in plain view and that he kept flicking the gun’s safety on and off. She said she thought the gun was real.

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She then took a photograph of the man with the gun on her iPad and walked up to the driver to show him. The driver immediately pulled the bus over, and she exited the bus.

Several other passengers, who had also seen the man with the gun, began to yell and run off the bus, she said. The driver also got off and had a nearby restaurant employee call 911.

The suspect exited the bus as well. As a result, the woman said she ran down Massachusetts Avenue, toward East Arlington, and hid in bushes until he left the scene and police arrived.

The suspect turned left onto Franklin Street before going right on Broadway, according to the police report. He was wearing a black T-shirt and gray gym shorts and was wheeling a small suitcase as well. He was arrested without incident, police said.

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Notable Incidents on Sunday, Aug. 5

4:59 p.m., Medford Street, Larceny under $250

4:29 p.m., Massachusetts Avenue, Arrest, fugitive from justice on court warrant (see above)

4:22 p.m. Trowbridge Street, Bike larceny

6:53 a.m., Beacon Street, Malicious destruction of property over $250


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