Contact: Beth Stone 508-584-8120
BROCKTON – A grand jury has indicted a Brockton man who allegedly produced a hatchet and wreaked havoc inside a downtown cell phone store in 2019, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has announced.
A Plymouth County grand jury returned indictments today charging Claude Mede, 38, with six counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and one count of Destruction of Property in Excess of $1,200.
On August 21, 2019 at approximately 12:28 p.m., Brockton Police received a 911 call reporting a disturbance inside a cellular telephone store located on Main Street in Brockton. Officers responded and found a man acting erratically and armed with a hatchet. Brockton Police made several commands from outside of the cell phone store for Mede to exit the store. Mede ignored Brockton Police officer’s requests before charging out of the store, hatchet in hand. Police made repeated efforts to deescalate the situation, including commands to drop the weapon. Mede did not comply with those commands and continued to swing the hatchet while advancing toward the officers. Brockton Police officers discharged their weapons and used their tasers and Mede was struck. He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton and later transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for treatment.
The incident took place midday in a busy Brockton intersection bustling with civilians at the time. Brockton Police requested assistance from Massachusetts State Police Detectives to conduct witness interviews, collect evidence and video. Brockton Police took out criminal complaints charging Mede in the district court on August 23, 2019. Mede will be arraigned on today’s indictments in Brockton Superior Court at a later date.
Assistant District Attorney Alexander Zane is prosecuting the case.