Revere fire captain pleads not guilty in Halloween assault

CHELSEA – A judge released a Revere Fire Department captain on personal recognizance Monday after police said the defendant attacked an 11-year-old and two 14-year-olds with a golf club during a fight that erupted while the parties were out trick-or-treating Friday night.Carl E. Holmberg, 44, of 117 Dale St., was arrested and charged with assault and battery on a child with injury; and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a golf club. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Monday in Chelsea District Court.Holmberg is accused of hitting an 11-year-old boy and his two 14-year-old friends in a melee that erupted at about 7:45 p.m. Friday on Vane Street, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.Revere Police responded to the scene for a fight in progress, and found Holmberg using a golf club to restrain one of the teens.”The male was standing behind the other party and had the golf club over the other party’s chest and neck area,” Revere Police Officer Nicholas Fantasia wrote in a report. “It appeared to the officer that the male was attempting to strangle the other person.”When officers disarmed Holmberg and separated him from the youth, they detected the odor of alcohol on his breath, Conley said.Conley said that the 14-year-old victim complained of lightheadedness and difficulty breathing. He told officers that Holmberg had attacked him and thrown him to the ground. The 11-year-old told officers that he had been hit in the back of the head. Both were taken to Whidden Memorial Hospital in Everett. The third youth told officers that Holmberg hit him in the arm and the leg; he was taken home and officers photographed his injuries, Conley said.The alleged victims told officers that someone had been chasing them and that Holmberg yelled at them for cutting through yards in the area, Conley said. The youths said they ran away to find the adult who was trick-or-treating with them but were confronted again by Holmberg, who then attacked them with a golf club.In a statement, Holmberg allegedly told officers that he was trick-or-treating with his wife and two children when he saw the victims creating a disturbance, Conley said. When Holmberg confronted the youths, he said they became aggressive and he became afraid for his safety. He allegedly stated that he didn’t strike anyone with the golf club, but pushed and struggled with one youth who approached him in a hostile manner.”Holmberg informed the officer that he uses the golf club as a walking stick and that he always has it with him while walking in the neighborhood,” police reported.Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Philip Cheng recommended bail of $2,500. Judge Matthew Nestor released Holmberg on his own recognizance with orders to stay away from the victims and their families. Holmberg is scheduled to return to court Nov. 20.Revere Police said Monday night they are also investigating a report of shots fired at a Dale Street residence at approximately 1 a.m. Saturday. Police said there were no injuries but one projectile was located in the home.”At this time, pending further investigation, police are determining whether this incident was connected to an earlier incident on that area on Oct. 31,” police said in a press release. Lt. Amy O’Hara confirmed that police are investigating whether this incident might be connected to the Holmberg case.