Chelsea man charged with wielding knife while shoplifting in Downtown Crossing

BOSTON, June 10, 2025 – A Chelsea man was arraigned last week in the Central division of Boston Municipal Court for brandishing a knife at police officers after shoplifting from a Downtown Crossing department store, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

DAVID MCGRATH, 51, of Chelsea was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (knife), shoplifting by asportation, resisting arrest, and disturbing the peace.

Judge James Coffey set bail at $1,000 and ordered McGrath transported to Roxbury BMC on a probation violation warrant on an assault and battery with a deadly weapon case in which McGrath pleaded guilty to in April.

McGrath is due back in court on June 13 for a pre-trial hearing.

At around 5:37 pm on June 5, Boston police officers on patrol around Summer and Arch streets observed a Macy’s security employee following a shoplifter. The employee told officers that the shoplifter, later identified as McGrath, had stolen merchandise and was armed with a knife.

McGrath then led officers on a foot chase during which they observed a knife in McGrath’s right hand. McGrath ignored multiple commands to drop the weapon. As officers closed in, McGrath tried to move the knife from his right to left hand. Officers then attempted to subdue McGrath, who resisted. McGrath pointed the knife at the officers during the struggle, but they were able to disarm him. After being brought to the ground, McGrath continued to actively resist arrest. Police were able to subdue McGrath, place him under arrest, and recover the knife.   

“This call started as a retail theft then turned into a violent encounter in a busy shopping area during a busy time of the day. The incident was both a threat to workplace safety and public safety, neither of which is tolerable in Downtown Crossing or any other area of the city,” Hayden said.

Hayden’s office, the Boston Police department, regional retailer groups and small business owners in 2024 launched the Safe Shopping Initiative, an effort to increase consumer safety and help store managers strategize responses to shoplifting and retail larcenies. The initiative formed amid increasing national and local frustrations around retail crime, along with concerns over the closure of several pharmacies serving minority communities in Boston.

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