Revere Fire Captain Smelled of Alcohol After Halloween Assault on Teens, Say Police
A Revere fire captain was released on his own recognizance Monday after police say he assaulted three pre-teen trick-or-treaters. Police say Carl Holmberg, 44, “smelled of alcoholic beverages’’ when he allegedly used a golf club as a weapon against an 11-year-old and two 14-year-old kids in a Halloween night scrap.
According to the Revere Police report, the victims said Holmberg approached them with the club because they had cut through private property. Officers at the scene reported finding Holmberg on top of one of the 14-year-olds when they arrived at the scene.
Holmberg told police he was the victim in the situation, saying he was trick-or-treating with his wife and their 6-year-old son when they became frightened by a group of rowdy teenagers. He told police things went bad when he confronted them for banging on street signs and screaming.
Of the golf club he was carrying, Holmberg said he often uses it as a “walking stick,’’ and defended his family with it when the teenagers turned on him for telling them to take it easy. Holmberg’s wife told WHDH that he was carrying the golf club for protection from “dangerous dogs.’’
Despite assistant District Attorney Philip Cheng recommending $2,500 bail for Holmberg, a judge released him from custody on the condition that he not come in contact with the victims or their families.
The 11-year-old victim allegedly suffered blows to the back of the head. One 14-year-old had bruises to his arms and legs, and the other reported having trouble breathing after being thrown to the ground. Police say that victim recently had chest surgery — earning Holmberg a charge of assault and battery on a child with an injury.
Two of the victims were taken to Whidden Memorial Hospital for treatment. The third child was driven home by police. Police say the golf club used in the attack was not immediately recovered because a “family friend’’ took it back to the Holmberg residence from the scene.
One of the boys was brandishing a toy sword as part of his costume, which Holmberg described to police as a machete. While Holmberg noted that the victims accused him of confronting them “because they were black,’’ one of the victims fathers also called the incident “racial’’ and blamed Holmberg for being intimidated by the young boys because they were black.
Holmberg will return to court on November 20.
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