Assault on homeless man by former TD Garden guard caught on video

Video footage released by the MBTA police shows a former TD Garden security guard striking a homeless man in the face with his own cane last December.

The videos were released following a public records request from the Globe.

The footage shows Rene Norestant Jr. leading Michael Hathaway from a bench in North Station to an exit on Dec. 22, 2016. North Station is located underneath TD Garden.

Norestant appears to shove Hathaway, who is disabled and was carrying a cane, as the latter approaches the doors of an exit that leads to the street. A brief scuffle follows. Hathaway appears to whack Norestant with his cane.

Norestant knocks Hathaway to the ground near a row of newspaper boxes. He then takes Hathaway’s cane away from him and, in a one-armed swing, strikes him in the face with the handle end of it.

Hathaway, who is 53, covers his face with his hands and stays on the ground for at least 10 minutes. What appears to be blood can be seen on the floor near where he fell; a trail of it follows him as he crawls around on his hands and knees.

During that time, Norestant appears to bend down to speak with Hathaway.

Some passers-by stop and speak with Norestant as Hathaway remains on the ground. Other people walk past the scene without pausing. Eventually, police arrive.

Norestant was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident. He will have those charges dismissed if he completes 100 hours of community service, according to court records filed this week.

The Suffolk district attorney’s office had asked that Norestant, 27, be convicted and sentenced to 18 months in jail, followed by two years of probation.

In March, Hathaway was one of four homeless people to sue Norestant and the company he worked for, Allied Universal, which provided security at TD Garden. The plaintiffs in that case said they were assaulted by security guards at North Station and alleged that Allied Universal’s negligence led to the violent episodes.

In light of the alleged assaults, TD Garden severed ties with Allied Universal.