A Stoughton man was arrested after he allegedly attacked several women in downtown Winthrop and led police on a chase by foot and bus from the area of the police station to Governor’s Park.

The suspect, 26-year-old Kervens Boutin, was due for arraignment Thursday on various charges – expected to include indecent assault and battery, disorderly conduct, endangerment of a child, breaking and entering and resisting arrest – after the attacks Wednesday afternoon.

Winthrop police apprehend assault suspect

Mr Boutin allegedly tried to pull down the pants of a woman walking with her child outside the Wadsworth Building on Winthrop Street, while making sexually explicit comments to her, police said.

The victim reported the incident at the nearby police station. After that, police were told of at least two other separate incidents apparently involving the same suspect, one by a woman who described a man with a similar description running past her and slapping her buttocks while she awaited a bus. Two other women told police they came to their home on Jefferson Street to find a man on their couch with his pants unbuckled, and had him removed by building maintenance personnel.

Suspect tasered

At least four Winthrop police officers were involved in the chase and apprehension of Mr Boutin, which included the use of a taser to subdue him, police officials said.

Mr Boutin appears to have a history of living in both Stoughton and Providence, RI, and it was not immediately clear why he was in Winthrop, the town police chief, John Goodwin, said of the matter.

Officers involved in the case suggested the case may have involved some kind of substance abuse problem or mental health episode, the chief said. Mr Boutin was scheduled for a mental health evaluation prior to his arraignment.

The attack generated a strong community response, including the provision of a video recording from the Wadsworth Building that “allowed us to catch this guy fairly quickly,” Mr Goodwin said. It also led to a “textbook” response by officers using their training to find and apprehend Mr Boutin, Mr Goodwin said.

“It was just a great effort by the officers and the community to have a quick conclusion” to the situation, the chief said.