BOSTON — A Quincy woman is facing armed robbery and assault charges after allegedly trying to steal chips from a Boston pizza shop and slashing the owner with a pocket knife when he tried to remove her, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced Thursday.
Nina Benoit, 33, was arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court Central Division on charges of armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Judge James Coffey set bail at $2,500 and ordered Benoit to stay away from the restaurant. She is due back in court on April 17 for a probable cause hearing.
Boston police responded to a disturbance at Pizza Stop located at 851 Harrison Avenue around 5:30 p.m. on April 1. Officers found Benoit sitting outside and spoke with the restaurant owner, who said she was not purchasing anything and causing a disturbance inside the residence and when he asked her to leave multiple times, she refused.
When the owner confronted her and tried to remove her from the restaurant, Benoit allegedly pulled out a silver multi-tool pocket knife and waved it at him multiple times. The owner suffered a four-to six-inch laceration to his right forearm and was treated by Boston EMS at the scene.
Multiple witnesses supported the owner’s version of events, including one who saw the owner trying to restrain Benoit until police arrived. Benoit told police she acted in self-defense, claiming someone inside the shop was “choking her.”
According to prosecutors, Benoit has prior convictions in Norfolk County for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in 2017 and assault and battery on a police officer causing serious bodily injury in 2018.
“It is always frightening to see a disturbance or altercation escalate and rise to violence,” Hayden said. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their workplaces, and our business owners and their customers should be able to go about their daily lives without encountering dangerous situations.”
