Say hello to prison: Boston man convicted of attacking woman for not saying ‘good morning’

A 34-year-old man has been convicted of violently attacking a 59-year-old woman for not saying “good morning” to him.

Ian Atkinson has been found guilty of assaulting and trying to hit the woman with his car last year, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Atkinson, who waived his right to a jury trial, was convicted of assault and battery and assault with a dangerous weapon. Judge Michael Doolin found Atkinson guilty and sentenced him to two years in state prison, followed by two years of probation.

Boston Police officers on July 13, 2023 responded to Balsam Street in Dorchester, where the victim told them she was watering her plants when Atkinson walked by and said, “When people say good morning to you, you should say hi you crazy (expletive).”

The woman took out her phone and started videotaping Atkinson, who had entered a nearby black Mercedes.

He then left the car and repeatedly punched the woman in the face before throwing her against a fence. Atkinson stopped attacking her once she bit him.

After the attack, Atkinson drove the Mercedes toward her, almost striking her.

She was bleeding profusely from her nose when police arrived, and she was transported to a local hospital. She suffered a broken nose, contusions to her head and face, and a subconjunctival hemorrhage of her left eye.

The attack was captured on her phone and surveillance video. 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,” Suffolk DA Kevin 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.”