Demands gun be returned
A man involved in verbal sparring and who is known to police, Perry, left the area on a bicycle after Canniff intervened. Shortly after leaving, Perry returned and again engaged in a verbal altercation with the man for a second time, the release said.
During the dispute, Perry demanded that his gun be returned to him. A homeless woman then proceeded to hand over a gun, which was believed to be a rifle, to him, the release said.
At this point, it said, Perry allegedly became aggressive and began to charge toward Canniff with the gun, brandishing it at the officer. The officer backed away, drew his firearm and ordered the man to stop and drop the gun.
Through deescalation efforts, Canniff was able to get Perry to drop the gun. Police seized the gun, later identified as a BB pellet gun. Other officers responded to the scene to assist Canniff.
Because of the actions and extensive training of the responding officer, the release said, Arlington police were able to deescalate the situation and prevent injury to the suspect and others in the area and the officer himself.
Mobile training; officer commended
Most recently, Arlington police partnered with the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to conduct a two-week interactive, scenario-based training that used its mobile training center and allowed officers to practice deescalation skills and techniques.
Chief Juliann Flaherty said in a statement: “The actions of Officer Canniff, who has an already delicate assignment that includes providing outreach to some of our community’s most vulnerable residents, are consistent with the highest standards of law enforcement and public safety.
“Faced with a split-second decision and a weapon pointed in his direction, with a suspect coming toward him in the woods, Officer Canniff remained calm and fell back on his training to deescalate a volatile and potentially dangerous situation.
“Officer Canniff is to be commended for his actions, which underscore the long-term, ongoing efforts of the Town of Arlington and the Arlington Police Department to provide outreach, services and housing to our homeless residents living in the Mugar Woods.”
Once he was taken into custody, an Arlington Fire Department ambulance transported Perry to a local hospital for evaluation where he was held overnight pending arraignment.
Outstanding warrants
Perry also had multiple outstanding warrants out of Cambridge District Court, where he is expected to be arraigned Thursday, June 3.
Immediately following this incident, Arlington police conducted a search of Mugar Woods and were able to seize two more black rifles, which were also identified to be pellet guns.
Recently, and especially over the past 14 months, the Town of Arlington has intensified its efforts to provide public safety and social services to homeless residents in this stretch of woods in East Arlington, amid reports of violence and drug distribution targeting the residents. The efforts have been fruitful, with town officials placing what the news release calls “the vast majority of residents” into permanent or transitional housing.
The Arlington Police Department and Arlington Department of Health and Human Services are urgently working to place the last handful of remaining residents into housing programs in the area.
March 10, 2021: Community helps ‘hidden homeless’ during pandemic
This news release was published Thursday, June 3, 2021. The information was provided by John Guilfoil Public Relations. Also published by at Arlington Patch and CambridgeDay.com. YourArlington has been a partner of the former since September 2020 and of the latter since 2006.
