John Jefferson
Background: Ian Atkinson. Inset: Atkinson attacking a woman for not saying “good morning” to him (WBTS).
A man will spend two years behind bars because he assaulted a woman and tried to run her over with his car after she failed to respond to him when he said “good morning” to her, prosecutors in Massachusetts said.
Superior Court Judge Michael Doolin on Monday found 33-year-old Ian Atkinson guilty of assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon after a three-day bench trial, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.
Police responded around 9 a.m. on July 13, 2023, to the woman’s home on Balsam Street in Dorchester after the assault. She told cops she had been watering her plants in her yard when a man she did not know, later identified as Atkinson, walked by and said “when people say good morning to you, you should say hi you crazy b—-.” She began to record him with her cellphone after he got into a nearby black Mercedes. Atkinson proceeded to exit the car and attack the victim. He repeatedly punched her in the face before throwing her against the fence, prosecutors said.
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The victim was able to fight off Atkinson after she bit him. He then went back to his car and drove it toward her, nearly hitting her. He then fled the scene.
When cops arrived the victim was bleeding from a broken nose and had bruises throughout her head and face, according to prosecutors. Detectives identified Atkinson through video and learned he had been wearing a GPS monitor from a previous arrest. Officers arrested him a few days after the attack.
“For this victim, a pleasant summer morning descended into a violent and cruel ordeal for the most inexplicable of reasons. But, even as she was being attacked, she had the presence of mind to record video, and that decision, along with her brave testimony, provided enough evidence for the judge to make his decision. I join all the members of the community in thanking this survivor for her courage,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.
After serving the prison time, Atkinson will be on probation for two years.
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