By Jim Clark

Somerville Police officers were dispatched to the 711 on College Ave. last Friday on reports that a man had broken a glass window of the store. Initial reports indicated that the suspect had been encountered by a police officer earlier in the evening around the same the location.

While in route to the scene, Somerville Control notified officers that they had received another 911 call about the suspect, who was now making his way towards Seven Hills Park while brandishing a knife. Units arrived on scene at Seven Hills Parks and searched the area. However, the suspect was nowhere to be found.

Officers made our way towards the 711 store on foot. While approaching the store, a random bystander told them that the suspect was running between the subway platforms, and was making his way up the escalator on the College Ave. side of the station.

An officer looked across the street at the station and immediately recognized the man walking out the door as the suspect, and and the one he had encountered earlier in the evening.

The officer approached the suspect, later identified as Paul Phaneuf, of Woburn, and ordered him to turn around and put his hands behind his back.

Phaneuf reportedly failed to comply and instead made an attempt to run. He was quickly apprehended and taken to the ground by officers on the scene.

While attempting to handcuff Phaneuf, he reportedly used forced to resist and tried to pull his arms apart. However, Phaneuf was eventually handcuffed and searched for weapons.

In Phaneuf’s right back pocket a concealed black handled buck style knife was found. The knife was concealed in the open position with the blade locked opened.

During the entire procedure Phaneuf reportedly yelled profanities and made threats to harm the officers. He became extremely agitated and boisterous, continuing to yell profanities while some members of the public watched and videoed the incident.

Officers spoke with a 711 employee, the reporting party. The store was reportedly in disarray and many items were displaced and scattered on the ground.

The employee stated that Phaneuf entered the store, paced around then yelled at him, asking if he had seen his wallet. When the employee replied no, the suspect became enraged, slapped a small display off the counter then walked towards the exit. Just before exiting, Phaneuf purposefully knocked over a stack of shopping baskets, according to the store employee.

About two or three minutes later the suspect returned and reportedly threw two cobble stones through one of the store’s windows.

The owner of the store was able to show police video of the entire incident which was consistent with the employee’s account of the incident.

Phaneuf was transported to the station for booking, at which time he reportedly continued his boisterous behavior, began fighting with officers and had to be subdued with pepper spray.

It was learned at booking that Phanuef had two open warrants for prior crimes. A short time after booking, while Phanuef was in his holding cell, he defecated and urinated on the floor, then smeared his feces on the plexiglass window. In response, 24 Trauma cleaning service was called in to clean and sanitize the cell.

Phanuef was booked on charges of disorderly conduct, malicious wanton defacement of property, and resisting arrest, and on warrant charges of larceny over $1200 and felony nighttime breaking and entering.