Police tactics under review following 18-hour Cambridge standoff with knife-wielding man
A 51-year-old Cambridge man who police said slashed a person's head with a large knife on Friday night was arrested the following day after an 18-hour standoff.
At around 6:40 p.m. on Aug. 1, police said the man, Princiano Faustin, waving two large machete-type knives at a bus stop in Central Square, according to Sergeant Bob Reardon Jr.
Faustin slashed a bystander in the head, police said, resulting in officers pursuing him.
As he was being chased, Faustin continued to swing his knives and yelling that he wanted the police to shoot him, Reardon said.
Eventually, Faustin arrived at his apartment building, barricading himself inside his unit.
For 18 hours, officers, along with crisis negotiators and mental health clinicians, tried to resolve the situation.
At 2 a.m. on Saturday, officers sent a pepper ball through one of the windows. The pepper ball was launched in an attempt to have Faustin comply with the police and other officials, Reardon wrote in a statement.
The chemicals from the pepper ball, however, circulated through the building's shared ventilation system and Faustin did not surrender, according to Reardon.
After receiving an arrest warrant, officials entered the building and placed Faustin into custody before 1 p.m.
Faustin will be arraigned at Cambridge District Court on multiple charges at a later date, Reardon wrote.
In his statement, Reardon wrote that the police department understands the use of chemicals, specifically in shared residential buildings, "raises concerns."
"Every use of force by this department is reviewed, and that review is already underway in this case," he wrote. "While we support the difficult decisions made by officers in real time under stressful and unpredictable circumstances, we also recognize that we must continuously evaluate our tactics — especially when vulnerable community members are impacted."
The person who was slashed in the head at Central Square was sent to a local hospital for treatment and their injuries are non-life-threatening, Reardon said. He did not identify the victim.
"Officers will remain on-scene to gather evidence and continue their investigation, Reardon wrote. "However, all nearby roadways have been reopened to normal traffic and the remainder of the building has been reopened to residents."
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