A Quincy, Massachusetts man accused of assaulting a woman in Boston’s South End on Saturday night is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing, after appearing in court Monday for an arraignment.
Amos Sykes, 35, is facing multiple charges following his arrest, including multiple counts of assault and battery and strangulation or suffocation with grievous bodily injury. A plea of not guilty was entered on behalf of Sykes.
The incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the South End. Police said a woman was walking down Columbus Avenue when she said her suspect grabbed her from behind her, pulled her to the ground and began attacking her.
Investigators said several witnesses heard the woman’s screams and then saw a man punch her in the head as he sat on top of her.
While he was allegedly trying to remove her clothes, police said one of the witnesses intervened and started fighting her attacker.
That’s when officers arrived and arrested Sykes, after a brief foot chase, according to police. Sykes now faces charges of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of 14, and battery.
People who live in this South End neighborhood called the incident terrifying.
“My fiancee works down the street and she passes right by that place all the time, coming home from work and that’s unsettling,” said Salem Salem, a South End resident. “I get a little excited because it looks like that woman was attacked and that could have been my fiancée, it’s a scary thought for sure.”
Sykes is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court sometime on Monday.
The incident was under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident was urged to call Boston police at 617-343-5619 or their sexual assault unit at 617-343-4400.
