Police: Man Struck Copley Church Employee

The following information was supplied by the Boston Police Department. Charges listed do not indicate a conviction. 

Boston Police responded to a report of an assault and battery at the Trinity Church in Copley Plaza at about 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, July 28.

A church employee told police that a man struck them in the face and took off on a bike. The victim provided a description of the suspect and the State Police stopped two men on the Esplanade near the Dartmouth Street footbridge about 20 minutes later.

A witness and the caller both saw the suspect strike a man in the face then get on a bike and leave, accompanied by another man. A manager of a nearby restaurant told police that he was setting up tables on the outdoor patio when saw the suspect strike the victim and flee.

Officers recovered the victim’s glasses from a bush on the Church Plaza. The officers took the victim to identify the suspect in question. The victim told police that he was certain that one of the men was his attacker. He also confirmed that the second suspect was not the man who struck him. The victim was not certain if the second man was involved somehow.

Miguel Morales of 444 Harrison Ave was charged with assault and battery on a disabled person. After booking and reading the suspect his Miranda Rights, police reported that the suspect said, “I’m going away,” for hitting “a retarded person.”