Terror scare delayed ambulance response

BOSTON -- A pedestrian seriously injured after being struck by a car had to wait more than a half hour for an ambulance amid the confusion caused by the discovery of electronic devices around Boston last week, a city councilor says.

The 37-year-old man had been hit by a car in the city's Dorchester neighborhood at 4:17 p.m. Jan. 31 but was not taken to a hospital until a private ambulance arrived at the scene 31 minutes later, according to the Boston Herald.

"The issue here is that precious city resources were drained," City Councilor Michael Flaherty said at Wednesday night's meeting. "We had citizens of this city waiting for an ambulance because EMS was tied up in an emergency response that turned out to be a fraud."

The man was stabilized by Boston Fire Department officials while waiting for the ambulance.

Attorney General Martha Coakley last week charged Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, the two men accused of placing the devices around the city. The men pleaded not guilty to charges of planting a hoax device and disorderly conduct. The devices were light-up circuit boards with batteries and wires designed to promote the Cartoon Network show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

Berdovksy also videotaped police response to the discovery of one device. His lawyer has said Berdovsky was initially unaware that authorities were responding to one of the light boards the two men had left behind.

Councilor Stephen Murphy said, "Clearly those photos show there is a premeditation factor here. They are not a couple of dupes."

Supporters of Berdovsky and Stevens have launched a Web site in which they urge people to contact public officials and ask for leniency for the pair.

"At this point, the best route of action would be to call these people and request that charges against Peter and Sean be dropped," says a message on the Web site.

Lawyers for the men met with prosecutors in Coakley's office on Wednesday to try and resolve the case, but no agreement was reached, lawyer Michael L. Rich told The Boston Globe.

Meanwhile, the national news publicity appeared to have no initial effect on the ratings for "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The show averaged 386,000 viewers last week among its targeted demographic of 18-to-24-year-olds, according to Nielsen Media Research. The previous week, it averaged 380,000 young viewers.

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