A man who was taken into custody over the weekend in connection with a horrifying assault on a woman in Boston’s South End is now being held without bail.
Amos Sykes, aged 35 and from Quincy, was formally charged on Monday in Boston Municipal Court with multiple offenses including indecent assault and battery on an individual over 14, attempted rape, strangulation, assault, battery with a dangerous weapon, and causing injury through assault and battery. He pleaded not guilty through his attorney.
Authorities responded to an ongoing assault and potential sexual assault report around 9:45 p.m. on Saturday near West Canton and Appleton streets. Several witnesses recounted that they had heard screams and witnessed Sykes striking a woman in the head while atop her, according to Boston Police Department sources.
The police noted that one of the witnesses actively defended the victim and fought off Sykes, who attempted to escape but was subsequently apprehended.
The victim had been walking along Columbus Avenue when Sykes reportedly grabbed her from behind, forced her to the ground, and began assaulting her by hitting her head. Sykes also allegedly tried to remove the victim’s clothing.
“She was in tears. Her face was covered in blood,” a prosecutor told the court. “He also made unwanted sexual advances. At that point, another individual stepped in and engaged in a struggle with the defendant to remove him from her.”
During the incident, another witness stated that they saw Sykes attempting to strangle the victim using his arm and forearm.
“She was bleeding so heavily from her face, it was like someone had been shot in the stomach – that’s how severe the bleeding was,” recounted Sam Holder, an eyewitness to the attack.
The injured woman was transported to a nearby hospital with facial cuts and nose injuries.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden commended the courageous bystander who intervened.
“This was an atrocious assault that left the victim injured and battered, and it likely could have been even worse if not for the incredibly brave actions of a compassionate bystander,” Hayden said in an official statement.
“In cases like these, the harm endured by the victim often goes beyond the physical. Our office has specialists who are specially trained to address this kind of trauma, and they will support the victim throughout the legal proceedings and beyond.
I express gratitude to the Boston Police for their swift response and arrest, and I am particularly thankful for the heroic actions of this Good Samaritan.”
“I’m not a hero, not at all. I just did what any person should do. I’m no hero. Not at all,” Holder asserted.
Others hold a different view, including Holder’s sister, Bernadette.
“What he did is simply remarkable. To come to the aid of someone he didn’t even know, to protect her without fearing for his own safety – I find that truly amazing, but that’s just who he is,” Bernadette Holder remarked.
Detectives from the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit are leading the investigation into the alleged incident.
Sykes has a prior criminal history. In 2017, he was convicted of assaulting and intimidating a witness, serving 79 days in a correctional facility. More recently, Sykes provided testimony in a murder case at Dedham Superior Court.
Sykes is being held without bail and is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for a hearing to determine his potential danger to the community.