Man Charged With Threatening Boston City Councilor Removed From Court After Outburst

BOSTON (CBS) – The man accused of threatening Boston city councilor Michael Flaherty was taken for psychiatric tests after an outburst during his arraignment on Tuesday.

John Donovan of South Boston allegedly fled from police and hit several cruisers Monday morning when officers tried to arrest him for threats made to Flaherty and his staff over the weekend.

Facing charges including assault and battery on a police officer, destruction of property and threats, Donovan appeared in court on Tuesday.

When prosecutors described Donovan as having a "significant psychiatric history," he began to shout.

"I am not! I'm not schizophrenic and you know it!" he yelled in court.

Donovan was removed from the courtroom after the outburst and will undergo further psychiatric evaluations.

"This individual, who has always wreaked havoc on a lot of people and a lot of families, has always slipped through the cracks," said Flaherty. "Our hope is there's an opportunity here through Boston's mental health court maybe to change the trajectory on this so something like this doesn't happen again."