Incident Update- CPD Peacefully Resolves 18-Hour Standoff - Broadway at Windsor St.

Princiano Faustin, 51, of Cambridge has been placed under arrest after an 18-hour-standoff inside of the apartment building where he resides at the intersection of Broadway and Windsor St. Police first interacted with Faustin in Central Sq. at approximately 6:40PM last evening when where he was swinging two large machete type knives around at a bus stop and slashed a by-stander in the head.

Officers pursued Faustin on foot who continued swinging the knives, refusing verbal commands from officers and multiple times yelling that he wanted officers to shoot him. As he made movements toward a crowded park, officers attempted to subdue the suspect by hitting him multiple times using a 40MM Less-Than-Lethal Launcher that failed to stop him. Ultimately Faustin made it to his apartment building where he barricaded himself inside of his unit.

Over the course of 18 hours, officers worked with our crisis negotiators, mental health clinicians, and judicial partners in an effort to resolve the situation peacefully. At approximately 2 a.m., after a prolonged period of non-engagement from the suspect, officers deployed a pepper ball through a window in an effort to prompt compliance. Unfortunately, the irritant impacted more than the intended unit and circulated through the building’s shared ventilation system. The deployment did not result in the suspect’s surrender.

Eventually, working within legal protocols and after securing an arrest warrant, officers made entry and safely took the individual into custody. Officers were able to safely place Faustin into custody shortly before 1PM on Saturday, he will be arraigned at Cambridge District Court on multiple related charges at a later date.

We understand that the use of chemical agents, particularly in shared residential buildings, raises concern. Every use of force by this department is reviewed, and that review is already underway in this case. While we support the difficult decisions made by officers in real time under stressful and unpredictable circumstances, we also recognize that we must continuously evaluate our tactics — especially when vulnerable community members are impacted.

Our goal is always the preservation of life, the safety of all residents, and the peaceful resolution of dangerous incidents. We will remain transparent in our process and committed to learning from each incident to improve our response moving forward.

The victim of the initial incident in Central Sq. was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Their injuries are non-life-threatening.

Officers will remain on-scene to gather evidence and continue their investigation. However, all nearby roadways have been reopened to normal traffic and the remainder of the building has been reopened to residents.

The Cambridge Police Department is grateful for the cooperation of nearby residents, some of whom needed to be evacuated during the incident. The CPD would also like to recognize the assistance of our public safety and city partners including Cambridge Emergency Communications, Cambridge Fire Department, ProEMS, Cambridge Housing, Cambridge Public Schools and Cambridge Department of Public Works.