Crime
Fall River man who assaulted elderly victims holding “Back the Blue” signs sent to jail
A 25-year-old Fall River man who assaulted three senior citizens who were holding “Back the Blue” signs outside the Fall River Police Station last October was sentenced to serve jail time last Thursday in Fall River District Court,” Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Jajuan Torres pled guilty in district court to three counts of assault and battery on a person over the age of 60. Judge Thomas Barrett sentenced the defendant to two years in the Bristol County House of Corrections, with 120 days to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended for two years. If Torres gets in further trouble during those two years, he will be liable to serve the entirety of the jail sentence. The judge also ordered him to undergo mental health treatment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Henry Sousa.
On October 29, 2022, Fall River Police responded to the police station parking lot and observed Torres confronting three older men holding “Back the Blue” signs. Torres slapped a 66-year-old man in the head in front of the officers. An 84-year-old man then told police that prior to their arrival, Torres had approached him and demanded he give him the sign he was holding. When the victim refused, Torres tried to grab it from him, pushing him to the ground in the process. A 64-year-old man attempted to intervene, which resulted in Torres spitting on him and slapping him in the head. When the men told Torres they were going to call 911, he said he would “slap the (expletive) out of you guys for calling the police.”
Two of the victims appeared in court during last Thursday’s plea hearing and were pleased with the disposition of the case. They both addressed the court and expressed forgiveness to Torres, and said they hope he gets the help he needs. This is his first felony conviction.
“This conduct is simply unacceptable especially when directed at older victims, who were exercising their First Amendment rights. I am pleased that the defendant was held accountable for his actions,” District Attorney Quinn said.
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john stevens
March 14, 2023 at 3:07 pm
typical f****** trash. take him to jail and beat the s*** out of him see how he likes picking on seniors only ppl he can take apparently.
Twitwanger
March 14, 2023 at 7:21 pm
Agreed John Steven’s. This trash doesn’t deserve the air it breaths.
CleanCop
March 15, 2023 at 10:15 am
The elderly man didn’t deserve to get beaten up, and the thug that did it deserved what he had coming to him.
I do, however, question the sanity of anyone who would waste their time holding up a back-the-blue sign outside a police department that protected officers like Nick Hoar, Michael Pessoa, and Bryan Custodio. I won’t even get into the other officers named in civil lawsuits, which cost the city millions over the past decade yet remain on the job.
These three criminals were allowed to commit crimes against the community for years, and there was silence from the other police officers.
The FRPD needs an outside agency to come in and clean things up. It’s all cronyism, families; let’s not forget Hoar was cleared in earlier investigations, but he has a family member on the investigative board. His victim may still be alive and wouldn’t be in his position if he had been suspended or gone for training. It’s a loss for all parties involved.
I fully believe in backing the blue, but not until corrective measures are implemented to remove the bad apples. This is neither the time nor the place for anyone to praise the FRPD.
Systemic problems need to be addressed, and the community should support the department if it begins to resolve these issues.
The man holding up the sign was saying it’s ok for Custodio to beat women, for Hoar to shoot people dead, and for Pessoa to beat suspects.