Man arrested after allegedly threatening Market Basket protestors with hammer

TEWKSBURY, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Police tackled and arrested a driver who allegedly went after Market Basket protestors Friday.

The ousting of the grocery store's CEO Arthur T. Demoulas prompted employees to protest and customers to boycott the store. The ongoing feud escalated Friday when police reportedly had to tackle and arrest a truck driver who allegedly went after protestors with a hammer around 3 p.m.

Witness John Dixon says he saw the hammer in the man's hand and that he was "going after two of our guys."

Ira Forbes, 27, of Brooklyn was arrested and charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon and disorderly person. Forbes engaged in a verbal altercation with the people protesting at Market Basket headquarters, police say. He allegedly got out of his truck with a hammer and approached a crowd in a "threatening manner," ignoring officers.

Because Forbes had the hammer, he was disarmed by police and placed under arrest. He will be arraigned on Aug. 18.

A spokesperson for Market Basket released the following statement Friday, saying that the driver and company he works for have been fired:

"We are thankful that local police intervened and that no one was injured. Market Basket of course condemns the driver's actions. Both the driver and the company for which he worked have been terminated, effective immediately."

Cox Media Group