Two police officers were injured Monday in a scuffle with a Boston Public Library patron who had refused to leave an exhibition hall at the institution’s central branch in Copley Square, officials said.
The incident began in the McKim Exhibition Hall, a marble-floored room near the building’s main entrance that contains stacks of books, reading tables, and chairs along with windows that face the intersection of Dartmouth Street and Huntington Avenue.
Police identified the suspect as Kevin Williams, 40, of Waltham, said David Estrada, a Boston police spokesman. He was charged with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, trespassing, and resisting arrest, Estrada said.
Williams was being held and was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday at Boston Municipal Court, Estrada told the Boston Globe.
Police and library officials did not detail how the incident played out, but they said neither officer had injuries that were considered life-threatening. One officer was taken from the building while sitting on a stretcher and clasping his face.