Medford Man Arrested in Somerville Weed Whacker Assault

A landscaping dispute gone wrong led one man to swing his weed whacker at a neighbor, injuring a woman, according to allegations in a Somerville police report.

The injured woman's husband threw a beer bottle at the weed-whacker-wielder before chasing the man down the street with help from two other men, according to more allegations from the report. Robert Tiernan, of 50 Mangles St. in Medford is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

When police arrived, Tiernan was shirtless and "covered in blood," the report says.

It all started a little after 5 p.m. Sunday when a man and his wife were looking at their garden at 371 Broadway while, on the other side of the fence, Tiernan was whacking some weeds.

The husband told police he asked Tiernan to stop weeding for a moment so they could look at the garden, which was close to a shared fence.

According to the couple's allegations in the report, Tiernan refused, got argumentative, then kicked dirt and rocks at them with the weed-trimming tool.

The couple told police that Tiernan began to swing his weed whacker over the fence at them, striking the wife, according to the report. She had several wounds all over her arm and hand, the report says.

The husband told police he threw a beer bottle at Tiernan to protect himself from the weed whacker and that he and some friends approached Tiernan so he wouldn't flee, according to the report. The husband says Tiernan attacked all of them and they defended themselves.

Tiernan told police another story.

According to the report, he told police he got into an argument with the neighbors about his weed whacking near the garden when one of them threw a beer bottle at him. He told police the bottle caused him to lose balance, catch his foot on the fence and lose control of the weed whacker, according to the report. He told police he didn't swing at anyone, and if anyone got injured it was by accident. He also said that one of the three men punched him in the face while two others attacked him from behind, according to the report.

Tiernan had bruises to his stomach and back, his shirt was ripped off and he had a cut above his eye, the report says. He refused medical attention. The woman allegedly injured by the weed whacker was transported to for treatment.

According to the report, police expect to file criminal complaints against the other men involved in the incident.

Please remember that allegations contained in police reports do not indicate a conviction.