BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2014—A Revere man was arraigned today for allegedly using a golf club to strike three Chelsea youths during an altercation that erupted while they were separately trick-or-treating, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

CARL HOLMBERG (D.O.B. 6/7/70) is charged with one count of assault and battery on a child and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon – a golf club. Assistant District Attorney Philip Cheng recommended bail of $2500. Judge Matthew Nestor released Holmberg on his own recognizance with orders to stay away from the victims and their families.

Holmberg is accused of striking an 11-year-old boy and his two 14-year-old friends in a melee that erupted at about 7:45 p.m. on Vane Street.  When Revere Police responded to the scene for a fight in progress, they found Holmberg using a golf club to restrain one of the teens. When officers disarmed him and separated him from the youth, they detected the odor of alcohol on his breath.

That 14-year-old victim complained of lightheadedness and difficulty breathing. He told officers that Holmberg had attacked him and thrown him to the ground. The 11-year-old told them that he had been struck in the back of the head. Both of these victims were transported to Whidden Memorial Hospital for observation and treatment. The third youth told officers that Holmberg struck him in the arm and the leg; he was taken home and officers photographed his injuries.

The victims told officers that someone had been chasing them and that Holmberg yelled at them for cutting through yards in the area. They ran away, they said, to find the adult who was trick-or-treating with them. A short time later, however, they were confronted again by Holmberg, who was wielding the golf club and assaulted them with it.

In a statement, Holmberg allegedly told officers that he was trick-or-treating with his wife and two children when he saw the victims creating a disturbance. When he confronted them, he said, they became aggressive and he became afraid for his safety. He allegedly stated that he didn’t strike anyone with the golf club, but pushed and struggled with one youth who approached him in a hostile manner.

Holmberg was represented today by attorney Neil Rossman. He will return to court on Nov. 20.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.