Police say two men were involved in a fight in which one wielded an axe at the library Monday.
An axe was used in a fight this week at the Boston Public Library.
Police say a man with an axe and a man with a knife began brawling around 11:30 a.m. Monday at the library on Boylston Street.
Noctis Feral was working in a café in the library when he witnessed the incident.
"He was already, like, having the axe in his hand, waving it around, and he was screaming at the other guy, 'Do you want to die? Do you want to die?'" Feral recalled.
Things escalated from there.
"He did swing at the other guy with the axe a couple times but he missed every time," Feral said. "In my head, I'm like, 'Oh, OK, that's fun. I'm going to go get my manager.'"
The brawl began on the sidewalk before winding up in the library's dining area.
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"The guy with the axe turns around and starts walking into the library, and that's when the second guy tackles him in the middle of the library, and they start fighting on the floor, in front of the checkout counter," Feral said.
Those involved in the fight were arrested after police came. No one was seriously hurt.
The violence comes as Boston police meet with elected officials to discuss overtime, staffing and safety across the city.
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association is pushing for additional staff, saying the city is short nearly 600 officers.
