Public Safety Watch: Waltham man arrested for assault and battery

A Waltham man was arrested on assault and battery charges following an incident on June 6, according to a police report.

Alex Galan, 54, of 344 Crescent St., Waltham, was arrested at 11:56 p.m. for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer.

According to the report, officers responded to Galan’s residence to conduct a welfare check on him following a phone call he placed to the police station’s nonemergency line. The report stated that Galan had spoken about traffic issues on the phone call, but sounded confused and disoriented. When officers arrived, Galan asked why they were at his residence. The officers told him that he was incoherent during his phone call and noted that his eyes appeared to be red and glossy. Galan told the officers that they did not know how to enforce the speed limit on Crescent Street and then called them profanities. Police called an ambulance to take Galan for a psychological evaluation.

When the emergency medical technicians attempted to speak with Galan, he refused to respond, stating that he would pursue legal action against the police.

Officers asked Galan if he had anything to drink, noting that they had detected the smell of alcohol coming from him. 

Galan then requested that the officers leave his property and started to cuss at one of them.

Officers made multiple attempts to de-escalate the situation but determined that Galan had to be put into protective custody for his safety.

Once put in a police cruiser, police said Galan attempted to remove his seatbelt and started kicking the car door. Later, while being booked at the police station, Galan reportedly kicked an officer in the leg. Police then restrained him and put him in a holding cell.

Additional public safety activity

A summary of public safety activity from June 6 to June 12 is as follows:

On June 6 at 6:26 a.m., police responded to a report of unattended toddlers at the intersection of Woerd Avenue and Endicott Street. Officers located the pair and returned them to their residence, noting that the toddlers had gotten out of their home through an unlocked front door. 

At 4:25 p.m. police responded to a larceny at a residence on Linden Street. The reporting party was scammed out of $3,000 by a fraudulent listing on Facebook Marketplace of a motor vehicle for sale. Officers filed a report.

At 7:07 p.m. police responded to a report of a motor vehicle hit-and-run at a Moody Street address. The reporting party was unable to provide officers with information on a suspect, and police could not locate camera footage from the area. Officers advised the reporting party to contact an insurance provider.

On June 7 at 9:16 a.m., police responded to a report of a motor vehicle break-in at The Westin Waltham-Boston at 70 Third Ave. Upon arrival, officers discovered that the reporting party’s window was damaged but found no signs of a break-in. Police filed a report.

At 8:09 p.m. police responded to a report of a larceny at a Linden Street residence. Police declined to comment further on the incident, which involved a report of domestic abuse.

On June 8 at 9:59 a.m., police responded to a report of an unattended suitcase on Crescent Street. Officers were unable to locate the suitcase.

At 10:32 a.m. police responded to a report of property vandalism on Arcadia Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered that someone had spray-painted the N-word on the street and a nearby fire hydrant. Police are investigating the incident.

Yusuf Abdirahman, 25, of 237 Moody St., Waltham, was arrested at 6:33 p.m. for drinking alcohol in public.

At 9:19 p.m. police responded to a report of a lost dog at Dunkin’ Donuts at 859 Main St. Officers found the dog but could not locate its owner using its tracking chip. The officers transported the dog to the Police Department’s kennel, where the owner later retrieved it.

On June 9 at 12:48 p.m., Erik Linares, 41, homeless, of Waltham, was arrested for two counts of property vandalism. Officers reportedly found Linares punching holes in the tires of motor vehicles on Felton Street. The Waltham District Court changed these charges to malicious motor vehicle damage at Linares’ arraignment on June 10.

At 6:03 p.m. police responded to a report of a larceny at a Hammond Street residence. Upon arrival, officers determined that the reporting party’s lawnmower may have been stolen. A report was filed.

At 7:13 p.m. police responded to a report of a motor vehicle hit-and-run at Chipotle at 1110 Lexington St. Someone allegedly struck the reporting party’s car while it was parked. A report was filed.

On June 10 at 4:29 a.m., police responded to a report of a lost person from a Linden Street residence. A police spokesperson said the lost person returned home at 2:12 p.m. The spokesperson declined to give further information on the incident, as the incident involved a 14-year-old.

At 5:02 a.m. police responded to a report of property left at the Extended Stay America at 32 Fourth Ave. The reporting party found a 9 mm ammunition round in the mulch near the hotel. Officers sent the round to the Police Department’s evidence room.

On June 11 at 12:58 p.m., police responded to a report of a larceny at a Bishops Forest Drive residence. Officers learned that the reporting party was scammed out of more than $9,000 over the phone. Officers filed a report.

At 3:48 p.m. police responded to the Waltham Public Library at 735 Main St. for a report of threatening behavior. Police said two individuals had been arguing, during which one person had threatened to hit the other. Officers de-escalated the situation and advised the involved parties to stay away from each other.

At 6:31 p.m. the Police and Fire departments responded to a report of a fire at a Dale Street residence. The fire, which was started by a propane grill, went out without assistance from first responders.

On June 12 at 7:59 p.m., the Police and Fire departments responded to a fire outside of a residence on Oak Street. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which had been caused by a makeshift fire pit.

All information was obtained from a Waltham Police Department spokesperson, the publicly available police blotter and police reports available at the Waltham District Court.