Julian Bowers, 18, of Cumberland, and William Cantwell, 19, of Warwick, were charged with malicious destruction of property over $1,200, disorderly conduct, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest, police said.
Cantwell and Bowers pleaded not guilty at their arraignment in the Roxbury division of Boston Municipal Court on Monday. Standing in a plexiglass enclosure in the courtroom, both men could be seen laughing at times and whispering to each other frequently. At one point, they bumped fists.
Prosecutors had asked bail be set at $20,000.
A judge set bail at $1,000 for Cantwell and $500 for Bowers. Bowers was released on cash bail, while Cantwell was sent to Suffolk County Jail in lieu of bail, according to court records. Both men are due back in court Nov. 5, according to court records.
Assistant District Attorney Lisa Deacutis said such incidents “endanger everyone in the vicinity, and have led to numerous near misses, collisions, high-speed pursuits and property damage incidents.”
Bowers’ attorney, Richard Gedeon, said he had no information about his client “doing anything wrong.”
“[It’s] sort of confusing as to who was involved; there’s 100 people out there and two people get arrested,” Gedeon told reporters.
Cantwell’s attorney, Michael McKinnon, said his client has no criminal record in Massachusetts.
Deacutis said street “takeovers” are part of a growing trend that has been seen in cities across the country.
After a location is shared on social media and messaging applications, large groups of drivers converge on the location before police are able to respond, she said.
“This level of planning demonstrates a deliberate disregard to public safety,” Deacutis said.
Some individuals travel from out of state to take part, she added.
“Their lack of ties to the community contributes to a disregard for local residents, property, and spectators,” Deacutis said.
It was not clear whether the takeovers over the weekend were coordinated in any way, but two involved direct attacks against police cars. Police in Boston, Middleborough, and Randolph are coordinating with State Police in their investigations, according to a State Police spokesperson.
The turmoil began around 11 p.m. Saturday in Middleborough, where 50 vehicles and dozens of people converged on a commercial parking lot. Several vehicles had stolen license plates, and at one point, a white Dodge adapter “bearing Connecticut plates attempted to strike an officer,” police said.
State Police said they pursued the driver until the car crossed into Rhode Island, where troopers there lost sight of the vehicle.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, Boston police responded to a large-scale street takeover at Massachusetts Avenue and Tremont Street in the South End.
One officer’s cruiser was allegedly “banger with multiple fireworks from all angles” while the officer drove in circles among the crowd, according to the police report. At one point, several people began jumping on the hood of the cruiser, which later filled with “smoke and sparks” from fireworks, according to the report. The car caught fire after a firework was left on the hood, the report said.
”This fire melted the windshield and engulfed the entire interior, completely melting the inside and totaling the vehicle,” the report stated.
Officers dispersed the crowd with Tasers and unholstered guns, the report stated. They arrested Bowers and Cantwell after brief foot chase. Bowers allegedly threw things at the cruiser, while Cantwell allegedly used an orange pole to repeatedly strike it, according to the report.
Governor Maura Healey condemned the violence in a post on X Monday.
“Anyone who targets police and destroys police property — or who comes to Massachusetts and engages in dangerous and destructive conduct — should be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.
Mayor Michelle Wu Sunday condemned the chaos on X. “Do not come into Boston to disrespect our community and cause harm and disorder.”
Boston’s police commissioner, Michael Cox, said Sunday, “illegal street racing” will not be tolerated.
“We will spare no expense, nor resources, making sure we hold people accountable,” he said.
No police officers were injured.
In a statement, Larry Calderone, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, said the takeovers were staged “from community to community.”
“There needs to be repercussions for assaulting police officers, and it should start here immediately. These were not kids having fun with their cars.”
One public safety expert said the street stunts can have a devastating impact.
“Just on a routine disturbance call like this, to have a crowd of 100 people turn against the police and resort to arson is extremely troubling,” former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis said.
Northeastern University student Gianna Tufano, who lives near the Tremont and Massachusetts Avenue intersection, was awakened early Sunday by the sound of roaring exhaust and honking horns.
”Sirens started blaring as police arrived in droves,” she said.
Tufano watched as one of the cruisers circled the middle as people in the crowd flung fireworks. One banger the car and it burst into shooting flames.
“I’ve never seen violence towards police like that,” said Tufano, who caught the scene on video.
In Randolph, around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, more than 100 people targeted police cruisers at Oak and North Main streets, with some setting off fireworks on the hoods and hitting them with their fists and various objects, police said. Others sat or leaned on the cruisers as officers tried to drive, police said.
Boston police responded to two other gatherings in West Roxbury and Hyde Park following the incident in the South End.
At about 3 a.m., police responded to a report of about 100 vehicles trespassing on private property at 65 Sprague St. in Hyde Park. The cars were leaving the scene when police arrived, and officers found a person on the ground crying out in pain, according to a police report.
The male had “blood visible in his mouth, arms and legs” and his neck was being supported by other people at the scene, according to the report. Witnesses told police they were watching other vehicles “doing donuts” when a black sedan banger the person and fled.
He was taken to Beth Israel Hospital, police said.
At about 4:30 a.m., officers were called to a Home Depot on VFW Parkway in West Roxbury for a report of shots fired and found more than 100 people and vehicles lighting off fireworks, police said.
After clearing the scene, officers went to a parking lot behind Home Depot, where they found Raul Sanchez, 19, and a minor as they were changing a “flat, bald tire” on a Nissan 350Z that was registered in Connecticut, according to the report.
Sanchez was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace, trespassing, and operating with a missing license plate, according to the report. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Monday in the West Roxbury division of Boston Municipal Court and was released on $200 cash bail, according to court records.
John R. Ellement can be reached at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him @JREbosglobe. Truman Dickerson can be reached at truman.dickerson@globe.com. Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her @shannonlarson98. Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.
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