Woman faces charges after assault on Boston Medical Center security officers

BOSTON, August 8, 2023 – A Cambridge woman with seven open cases is facing various assault charges in Roxbury BMC for assaulting Boston Medical Center security personnel with hypodermic needles and a makeshift machete last week, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

JEANNITA SYLE, 23, was charged Friday with assault with hypodermic needles, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (large piece of scrap metal), and two counts of assault and battery. Judge David Breen revoked Syle’s bail on the pending cases and ordered her held on $500 bail and to stay away from Boston Medical except for a medical emergency.

At about 3:25 a.m. on Friday, Boston Police officers on patrol in the area of Boston Medical Center and Albany Street observed a group of security officers escort a woman, later identified as Syle, across the street from the facility. Syle had been medically cleared from the hospital but had refused to leave.

Officers observed Syle strike the security officers with her belongings and pick up needles to throw at them. Officers then observed Syle lean back and project her body forward while spitting in the direction of security personnel. As officers moved Syle away from the ambulance bay she yelled, “I will machete you guys,” reached into her bag, pulled out an item that appeared to be a machete, and swung it toward the officers. Syle made numerous lunging motions toward the officers, causing them to draw their firearms and order Syle to drop the weapon.

Syle then fled, prompting a foot pursuit down Albany Street toward Massachusetts Avenue then Melnea Cass Boulevard. Syle dropped the object, later determined to be a large piece of rusted metal, in the median on Massachusetts Avenue while running.

After apprehending Syle, officers observed blood on her path of flight and transported her back to Boston Medical Center to be evaluated. The injury was determined to be dog bite to her foot, which officers learned Syle was being treated for before the incident.  

Syle has seven open matters in various BMC courts, including assault and battery on a police officer and assault and battery with bodily substance.

“Using uncapped hypodermic needs as weapons is a serious offense and could have ended up triggering major consequences for anyone getting stuck. This incident illustrates just how unpredictable scenes can be, and just how unpredictable the threats to police and first responders at those scenes can be,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications