A Boston woman was arrested Thursday night for allegedly wielding a wine bottle at police and striking an officer, and then allegedly coughing on police during the booking process, saying she had tested positive for coronavirus.
Rebecca Tsakonas, 51, was arrested on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (wine bottle), and public drinking, according to police in a news release. She later picked up the charge of “threat of a dangerous substance” for the coughing incident.
Police reportedly encountered Tsakonas and a man sitting on the sidewalk in front of 280 Friend St. around 5:57 p.m., the release said. Police were driving by and as they did so, Tsakonas allegedly “began yelling obscenities at them.”
Police stopped to ask why Tsakonas was cursing at them, and noticed that Tsakonas appeared to have an open bottle of alcohol, according to the police report. Police asked Tsakonas to empty the bottle, and that’s when she reportedly began cursing at them again.
Police asked Tsakonas to empty the bottle again, and that’s when she allegedly threw the bottle at the cruiser, hitting one of the officers. Police then told her she could be arrested for assaulting the officer, according to the release.
“That’s fine,” she allegedly said, according to the release. “I have no problem with that.”
Police confiscated three bottles of Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc wine before bringing Tsakonas to the downtown station to be booked.
The man Tsakonas was with was also arrested, and he was charged with public drinking. He was not identified in the release.
During her booking, the alleged “disrespectful and disparaging treatment continued,” police said in the release. Tsakonas allegedly said she was COVID-19 positive, and began coughing and blowing her breath at officers.
“Understandably, officers were greatly concerned for their health and well-being due to the suspect’s behavior and the highly contagious nature of the coronavirus, as well as the ongoing anxiety surrounding the pandemic,” the release said.
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