Man attempts to steal bomb mitigation barrel from T station

Published May 10, 2011 in The Boston Globe MetroDesk Blog

A man attempted to steal a 440-pound bomb mitigation barrel from the Shawmut MBTA station on Monday but was arrested soon afterwards, officials said.

A caller reported around 2 p.m. that a man, later identified as Patrick Beech, 23, of Roxbury, had taken the barrel from the station and was pushing it on a dolly covered by a blue blanket.

The silver-colored barrel, which is used for trash disposal, limits the impact of explosive devices, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

MBTA Transit Police officers found Beech at the corner of Pleasant and Hancock Streets in Dorchester. According to a police report, he told officers that he had found the barrel on the side of the road.

He told the officers he had seen the barrels on television and heard they didn’t work, so he decided to take it. He was planning to take the device to a warehouse.

He was arrested on a charge of larceny over $250. Beech was released last night without bail, and did not attend his arraignment hearing today, a spokesman for Suffolk district attorney’s office said. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.