Knife-wielding Dorchester man’s attack stopped by Hub officers

Steely Hub police managed to subdue a knife-wielding Dorchester man early yesterday without firing a single shot — pepper-spraying the suspect as he seemed bent on committing “suicide by cop.”

Officers responded to a radio call at 12:30 a.m. about a person with a knife in the area of Redwood Street in Dorchester. They later identified the man as 42-year-old Thuc Vu of Dorchester.

When they arrived, police said, they saw Vu walking down the street with a butcher knife in one hand and a large kitchen knife in the other.

The officers approached him and gave him several commands to drop the knives, police said, but rather than complying, Vu walked toward the officers with both knives raised, telling them to shoot him.

As he continued toward them, one officer peppersprayed him, police said. The officers then were able to place him under arrest without further incident.

Before they arrived, police say Vu had attempted to attack another man with the blades, police said.

The victim was able to escape and was taken to Carney Hospital in Dorchester with injuries that were not life threatening, cops said.

Vu was charged with assault by means of a dangerous weapon and arraigned in Dorchester District Court.

Prosecutors recommended that he be held on $1,500 bail, noting that he had two default warrants out of the same court: one for a 2016 case in which he was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and disturbing the peace, the other for an incident this year where he was charged with destruction of property.

Judge Thomas S. Kaplanes revoked Vu’s bail on both those cases and set bail at $500 on the new charge. He is due back in court Oct. 27.