 "Photo: photos courtesy of Edward yankovski")
 "Photo: photos courtesy of Edward yankovski")
 "Photo:")
Basketball guard Jermaine Watson, A&S '05, was ordered out of his apartment Sunday afternoon following an incident where he told police that a television was destroyed, windows were smashed, and bedroom and bathroom doors were kicked in at his Brighton home by masked men with guns, knives, and bats.
Edward Yankovski, the owner of the three-story apartment building at 315 Foster St., said that he did not believe Watson's story. Watson said he jumped out of a second floor storm window after the four or five masked and armed men entered his apartment in the early morning hours on Saturday.
When Yankovski learned of the incident a day later, he assessed the damage and told the senior guard to vacate his apartment. He told Watson to leave, "because everyone is afraid with you in this apartment."
The 6-foot 3-inch, 205-pound Watson moved out with the help of his mother later that night. He was unavailable for comment.
The landlord said Watson's account did not corroborate with the damages to the second story window, which measures 30 by 56 inches.
"The window was not broken completely, but the bottom half was broken," he said. "The glass itself broke, and not the wood piece [in the center].
A lot of pieces of glass were surrounding the frame, but he did not scratch himself jumping out, he just cut his hand," added Yankovski. "It's hard to believe a person can jump through a window and not break his neck, or not have scratches on his body."
The landlord further explained that on the morning of the incident, he noticed that a girl was cleaning blood off the stairs from the first and second floors.
"The stairs were covered with drips of blood, so someone who cut themselves went down," he said. "I didn't see blood on the window."
Yankovski, who has already paid over $700 in damages, said that Watson may have made up the story for monetary reasons.
"If he did the damage then he would have to pay for it," said the landlord. "Since he is victim and hero, I am paying for everything."
Officers responded to a call of an armed man on the first floor of the apartment at 4:50 a.m., according to the police report. On arrival, tenants informed officers that there had been a "huge fight" on the second floor, and police found Watson's vacant apartment in disarray.
As they searched the perimeter, two victims, one of them Watson, came out from behind a bush where they had been hiding. Watson told the police he had jumped out of the window and complained of a hip injury, as well as cuts to his hand and ear. He was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital for treatment.
The other victim had not jumped out of the window, according to the police report, but was with Watson in the shrubs. Another victim was found in an adjacent parking lot, and both were treated by EMS for minor injuries at the scene.
Officers noted that Watson and other witnesses at the scene offered differing descriptions of the assailants. One said that the men were masked, another witness offered no description, and the third said they were black, Cape Viridian, and of Hispanic origin.
"The victims had conflicting descriptions of suspects and were uncooperative when questioned further," said David Estrada, Boston Police Department spokesman.
Estrada said that although no arrests have been made, they will continue to investigate any leads or information.
They refused to comment on whether Watson's moving out of the apartment would change the investigation.
The incident came after police had responded to a verbal argument the same morning. Earlier, officers observed a disturbance at 315 Foster St. and proceeded to speak with a 21-year-old Dorchester woman who "appeared to be extremely agitated," according to police reports.
She told police that she had been at a get-together at the residence and an argument had ensued. The female told officers that Watson had pushed her, causing her to fall backwards.
Other witnesses at the apartment, including Watson, said that they were pleading with her to leave in an attempt to end the party.
No arrests were made in regard to the altercation, and officers advised the parties to seek complaints at the Brighton district court. Police are still determining whether the incidents are related.
Yankovski said that the situation was partly out of his control, because Watson had been subletting a room to a friend.
"He was subletting to a temporary person ... I think what happened, happened because of him," he said.
The bottom line for Yankovski was the safety of the other residents, and he hoped they wouldn't move out after the violent ordeal.
"I didn't want my tenants to be scared," he said.
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