"Suffolk athlete faces charges" by Matt Rocheleau | Globe Correspondent, February 26, 2013
A Suffolk University women’s basketball player is to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of shutting an apartment door on the shoulder of a Boston police officer who was trying to quiet down a party early Sunday morning.
The alleged incident occurred several hours after the team lost a conference championship game.
Dominique Demar, 21, of Colchester, Conn., will face charges in Boston Municipal Court of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a door, and resisting arrest, said Renee Nadeau Algarin, spokeswoman for the Suffolk district attorney’s office.
Around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, Boston police said, officers received several complaints about a loud party at 28 Fleet St. in the North End.
Officers went to the noisy apartment and knocked on the door, police said.
After about 20 minutes, the door opened, police said.
A woman later identified as Demar yelled an obscenity at the officers and then slammed the door shut on an officer’s shoulder.
She then tried to escape, saying, “I’m out of here. I’m a proud American,” police said.
After a brief struggle, officers arrested Demar.
She allegedly told officers that she wanted them to know that her mother is an attorney.
About 25 people, some of whom were hiding, were found inside the apartment, police said.
Greg Gatlin, a university spokesman, said the school has learned that there were other Suffolk students at the party, but he did not know how many or if any are teammates of Demar.
Police said that party-goers told officers that Demar had told them to turn off the lights and not to open the door for the officers and that she also physically blocked the door so no one could leave. Demar is a junior at Suffolk majoring in political science, Gatlin said.
She plays forward for the Rams, an NCAA Division III team, according to the school’s website.
On Saturday afternoon, the team missed out on an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament when it lost 45-68 to Emmanuel College.
Demar played 10 minutes in that game; she did not score, but collected five rebounds and a steal.
For the season, Demar has played in all but three of the Rams’ 28 games, averaging about 15 minutes, 4 points, and 5 rebounds per game.
Suffolk is scheduled to move on to play in the quarterfinals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference’s New England Regional Tournament and will host Endicott College on Wednesday night.
The Suffolk spokesman said Demar and other students who were at the party could face sanctions from the university.
“The university’s code of conduct does hold students accountable for off-campus behavior,” Gatlin said.
The team’s coach and Demar could not be reached for comment Monday.
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