Man charged in assaults on couple with child on Red Line train

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) – A Weymouth man is accused of assaulting a couple riding the Red Line train with their young daughter.

Joseph Pacheco, 43, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon. He also had an outstanding warrant for shoplifting. He pleaded not guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery in South Boston District Court Monday.

According to police, Pacheco attacked a father with a beer bottle while the man was on the northbound train with his wife and 2-year-old daughter around 6 p.m. Sunday. The couple told police it all started when Pacheco asked the man for a cigarette and the man declined. The second time Pacheco asked for a cigarette, the mother asked him to move away from her daughter because he was leaning over the stroller. That's when he and a female companion allegedly began assaulting her.

When the man intervened to help his wife, Pacheco began assaulting him too, police said. The mother and daughter managed to get off the train without injuries when it pulled into Broadway Station.

Police said Pacheco and his female companion continued to attack the man and Pacheco started wielding a 40-ounce container of beer. The victim was able to elude the beer bottle and it shattered against the train wall.

Police are still looking for Pacheco's female companion. The Boston Herald reports MBTA police believe they are closing in on her.

Cox Media Group