Man uses large grilling fork to threaten bystanders

A Dorchester man was arrested Monday for allegedly threatening bystanders with a large metal grilling fork outside the Boston Transitional Clubhouse in Roxbury.

Benjamin Coffey, 35, now faces charges of assault and battery, assault with a dangerous weapon and being a disorderly person, Boston.com reported. Coffey was allegedly threatening to stab employees at the Clubhouse, a nonprofit for those who suffer from long-term mental illness.

Witnesses said Coffey was terrorizing people with the two-pronged fork, WCVB stated, adding that officers at the facility observed him acting as if he planned to use the fork as a weapon.

When officers arrived and told Coffey to drop his weapon, he refused and stated that he would not be taken alive, according to police cited in the Boston.com report. He allegedly yelled at the officers, requesting that they shoot him.

Police were ultimately able to use pepper spray on the suspect in order to take him into custody, according to WCVB.