By Gal Tziperman Lotan, News Staff
Boston Police Department (BPD) officers arrested three Northeastern students and one non-student at a 21st birthday party in Mission Hill early Sunday morning and charged them collectively with four counts of assault and battery on a police officer.
The students, however, told The News they did not assault the officers.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, police charged Amanda Smith, a middler psychology major who turned 21 on Sunday, with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and one count of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct; Alden Ladd, 21, a middler biology major, with one count of assault and battery on a police officer, one count of assault and battery and one of disorderly conduct; and David Kreindel, 25, a senior economics major, with one count of disturbing the peace and one count of disorderly conduct.
Police also charged Eric Volstad, 23, a Boston resident who does not attend Northeastern, with one count of each assault and battery on a police officer, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.
A police report incorrectly identified the charges as assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct against all four.
According to the report, police responded to a loud party at 8 Sunset St. in Mission Hill at 1:10 a.m. Sunday, where Smith was celebrating her 21st birthday.
Police said officers heard loud music coming from the second-floor apartment and saw college-aged individuals drinking what appeared to be alcohol, according to the report. Police entered the apartment and saw Smith, who appeared to be intoxicated, the report said.
When officers asked Smith how old she was, she replied ’12,’ police said. According to the report, officers tried to arrest Smith, but she ‘punched the officer in the face.’
Ladd, Smith’s boyfriend, said the report is inaccurate.
‘I didn’t hit anybody and neither did Amanda,’ Ladd said.
According to Ladd, an officer much larger than Smith twisted her arm and forcefully pushed her against a wall in her room. Ladd declined to comment further because neither he nor Smith consulted a lawyer about the case.
A BPD spokesperson said he could not comment on alleged brutality, but said people who have complaints about officers’ behavior should contact the BPD Internal Affairs Department at 617-343-4320 or cityofboston.gov/police.
According to the police report, Ladd, Volstad and Kreindel interfered and became disorderly after Smith’s arrest. The three were also taken into custody.
Smith, Ladd and Volstad are due in West Roxbury District Court Dec. 18, a Suffolk County District Attorney representative said. Kreindel was not arraigned and will be on pre-trial probation until May 1, 2010, at which time the charges will be dropped.