Boston man convicted of ‘violent, cruel’ attack on woman who didn’t say ‘good morning’ to him

BOSTON — A judge on Monday found a Boston man guilty in connection with a “violent and cruel” attack on a woman who didn’t say “good morning” to him.

Ian Atkinson, 33, of Dorchester, waived his right to a jury trial and was convicted of assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon after he attacked and tried to hit a 59-year-old woman with his car on the morning of July 13, 2023, according to Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office.

Officers responding to a report of an assault on Balsam Street in Dorchester on the morning of July 13 spoke with a woman who said she was watering her lawn when Atkinson, who is unknown to her, walked by and allegedly started cursing at her for not saying good morning to him.

“When people say good morning to you, you should say hi you crazy (expletive),” Atkinson said, prompting the victim to take out her cellphone and videotape him, according to Hayden’s office.

Home security surveillance video obtained by police showed Atkinson punching the victim at least seven times in the head and throwing her against a fence, according to prosecutors. The video then showed Atkinson get into his Mercedes, put it in reverse, and swerve in the victim’s direction before driving away.

The victim was bleeding profusely from her nose when police arrived at the scene of the attack. She suffered a broken nose, contusions to her head and face, and a subconjunctival hemorrhage of her left eye.

Atkinson, who was wearing a GPS monitoring device at the time of the attack, was arrested several days later.

“For this victim, a pleasant summer morning descended into a violent and cruel ordeal for the most inexplicable of reasons,” Hayden said in a statement. “But, even as she was being attacked, she had the presence of mind to record video, and that decision, along with her brave testimony, provided enough evidence for the judge to make his decision. I join all the members of the community in thanking this survivor for her courage.”

Suffolk Superior Court before Judge Michael Doolin sentenced Atkinson to two years in state prison followed by two years of probation.

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