LOWELL — Malakai “Kai” Linton, the 20-year-old Chelmsford man accused of punching a Lowell police officer unconscious during a chaotic scene outside Tescobar last weekend, has posted bail — as a more than 50-minute video circulating on social media has offered some insight into the violence that unfolded that early morning on Middlesex Street.
A GoFundMe page titled “Standing with Kai: Bring Him Home” and additional Cash App and Venmo solicitations, meanwhile, are seeking donations toward Linton’s bail and possible legal fees.
His mother, Krystal Linton, has said an injustice was done to her son, calling the incident “police brutality” and saying he was trying to reach her after she was punched and lying on the ground when officers intervened.
The video, posted on YouTube by the channel Real Mane and titled “Police was knocked out in Lowell (Boston) Mass” captures the event inside Tescobar and begins with roughly 20 minutes of footage mostly inside the venue during the “Raised in the 978” event, showing patrons dancing, drinking and listening to DJs.
After closing time, people can be seen in the video slowly filing out as Lowell police direct them to move along — consistent with a Lowell Police incident report describing a “high visibility patrol” outside the venue at about 1:10 a.m. According to the report, during the event, there had been two separate altercations that had occurred that were handled by the venue’s security personnel and police were on hand to encourage patrons to “exit the vicinity.”
Among those seen outside Tescobar is Malakai Linton, who is seen apparently talking with a Lowell police officer.
“I know (expletive) in higher places than you bro,” Linton can be heard saying.
The officer’s reply isn’t audible with his back turned to the camera, but Malakai Linton can be heard saying to the officer, “I’m jealous?” followed by additional unclear comments as the officer walks away.
The video skips ahead and next shows Malakai Linton speaking with Officer Joao Bettencourt, along with his mother and Chayanne Fantauzzi, 32, of Lowell.
“One of the sergeants is my coach, (expletive),” Malakai Linton tells Fantauzzi before turning back to the officer and saying, “I’m good, I’m good.”
The cameraman then pans to the crowd, announcing, “We got to go. Let’s make sure we all get home safe.”
Moments later, the video shows what appears to be a heated exchange between Malakai Linton and Fantauzzi, as Krystal Linton covers the camera lens.
The footage jumps ahead to shouting and shoving.
Malakai Linton can be heard yelling, “Get the (expletive) out of here.” Linton pushes Fantauzzi backward, telling him to “back up.” Krystal steps between them, telling Fantauzzi, “just stay there,” then “stop pushing me,” and “just leave him.”
Malakai Linton briefly walks away with his mother, still facing Fantauzzi, before approaching him stating, “Stay here,” and shoving him again. Fantauzzi shoves back. The two men close in on each other and Krystal Linton steps between them. A punch from Fantauzzi lands, sending Krystal Linton to the ground.
Malakai Linton immediately lunges at Fantauzzi, and the two fall to the ground fighting as Bettencourt and Officer Andrew Spanos rush in from off‑camera. All four end up grappling on the ground.
In his incident report, Spanos wrote that he and Bettencourt observed Malakai Linton and Fantauzzi actively fighting with Krystal Linton “laying on the sidewalk unconscious and bleeding from the head.”
Spanos said he grabbed hold of Fantauzzi in an attempt to pull him off Linton as Bettencourt tried to gain control of Linton. While being restrained, Fantauzzi was “violently thrashing his body around and stiffening up his body, so he could continue the altercation with Malakai,” Spanos stated.
“Due to Chayanne’s violent behaviors this officer attempted to place this unknown male into handcuffs,” Spanos wrote. “While attempting to place him in handcuffs he attempted to pull his hands toward the front of his body and blade his body away from this officer.”
In the video, meanwhile, the cameraman stands over Krystal Linton and films her as she is lying flat on her back.
“Yo, can you guys help her,” he said to officers Spanos and Bettencourt as they struggled feet away with Fantauzzi and Malakai Linton.
A group of people then approach the scene, including one man who can be heard saying, “Damn, they knocked shorty out.”
Two women in the crowd kneel beside Krystal Linton to check on her.
“You are worried about the wrong (expletive),” one woman shouts at the officers.
Officer Bettencourt is seen in the video punching Malakai Linton multiple times in the face during what appears to be a hand-to-hand struggle between the pair. The two officers are then shown getting both Malakai Linton and Fantauzzi on their feet, roughly a minute after Krystal was punched.
A woman on camera screams, “She’s (expletive) bleeding!” at the two officers while jumping up and down. The cameraman focuses on panicked woman, then cuts back to Bettencourt and Malakai Linton, who appears to break free from the officer and scramble toward his mother lying on the ground. Bettencourt deploys his Taser, striking Malakai Linton.
Another video recorded by bystander Yami Santiago appears to show Officer Bettencourt pushing Linton to the ground after the Taser was deployed. Malakai Linton rises with his fists clenched, closing the distance between himself and Bettencourt, shouting, “What!? What!? What!?” He then punches Bettencourt, knocking him out.
According to Officer Benjamin Zaim’s incident report, Bettencourt deployed two Taser probes striking Malakai Linton, “however the deployment seemed to have no affect.”
Zaim wrote that Bettencourt deployed a third probe.
“Simultaneously to the 3rd probe being deployed and effectively working, Linton cocked back with a closed right fist threw a single punch and connected with Officer Bettencourt’s jaw, knocking him unconscious,” Zaim said.
With Malakai Linton now on the ground, he was then taken into custody as additional officers appeared.
In the Real Mane video, an officer then approaches Krystal Linton, who is still largely motionless, and lifts her up by her sweatshirt, before letting her drop back to the ground. Blood can be seen on the pavement beneath her head from a gash as a woman screams at the officer to call an ambulance.
Another officer is seen in the video then putting on gloves and kneels down to check on her.
The timestamp in the video shows Krystal Linton being punched at 23:13, and the first officer tending to her at 25:24 — a two‑minute and 11‑second gap. The video later shows first responders gathered around her with a bandage wrapped around her head.
Santiago’s video, meanwhile, shows Officer Bettencourt on the ground after the punch before another officer helps him to his feet. Bettencourt is clearly staggering, nearly falling again as more officers move in to carry him away from the crowd.
Bettencourt is later seen leaning against a wall across the street, where medical crews attend to him.
Krystal Linton told The Sun on Thursday that she was diagnosed with a brain bleed.
“I am not recovered at all,” she said, describing the incident as “police brutality against her son,” and saying he was trying to come to her aid when officers prevented him from reaching her.
As for the confrontation between her son and Fantauzzi, Krystal Linton said she and her son did not know Fantauzzi personally, though they “know people he knows, which I will not disclose.” She added Fantauzzi was “just walking behind us pushing us.”
She said her son saw her get punched, which led to the fight with Fantauzzi, but her son did not realize how serious her injury was until the confrontation with police, at which point he attempted to come to her aid.
The GoFundMe page set up for Malakai Linton — which has raised $2,093 of its $8,000 goal as of Thursday evening — includes a lengthy statement: “There are moments in life that change a family forever, and this is one of them.”
“As a mother, nothing prepares you for getting the call that your child has been arrested while you’re also learning that you were knocked unconscious during the same incident,” the fundraiser states. “Our family is still trying to process everything that happened, and the emotional toll has been overwhelming.”
A flier posted on Krystal’s Facebook page, titled “Justice for Kai,” features photos of Malakai Linton, including from his time as a Chelmsford High football player.
“I’m not asking for handouts,” the flier states. “I’m asking for help, support, and justice.”
“On the night of the incident, Kai’s mom was violently assaulted while trying to walk away,” the flier continues. “As he tried to protect her and call for help, police responded with aggression instead of protection — pushing, shoving, and ultimately arresting him.”
The flier includes Cash App and Venmo usernames for donations “toward bail/possible legal fees,” listing the mobile payment services people can use to send money.
Also, a “Free Kai Protest” is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 28 across from the Kiernan Judicial Center, with organizers stating, “We believe Kai is innocent and that he deserves the support of his community. We are calling for justice and for the charges against him to be dismissed.”
Meanwhile, Fantauzzi was arraigned on Thursday in Lowell District Court on charges of assault and battery for allegedly striking Malakai Linton, as well as disorderly conduct, larceny under $1,200, and destruction of property. He posted $500 cash bail shortly after his arraignment.
According to Spanos’ incident report, after he had gotten Fantauzzi into handcuffs during the struggle, his attention was drawn back to Bettencourt as the officer deployed his Taser and was then punched. Spanos said he attempted to gain control of Malakai Linton, and in the process, Fantauzzi fled the scene still handcuffed.
At about 7:30 a.m. Sunday — roughly six hours after the incident in front of Tescobar — Fantauzzi walked into the Lowell Police Department’s main desk to turn himself in. According to Spanos, Fantauzzi “still had the cuffs on his wrists, however the chain was broken and Chayanne was unable to remove the cuffs.”
Spanos noted that it is believed Fantauzzi only turned himself in because he was unable to remove the handcuffs from his wrists.
He is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 17.
Attempts by The Sun to reach Fantauzzi by the phone number provided in court documents were unsuccessful.
Malakai Linton, charged with assault and battery on a police officer, assault, disorderly conduct, and affray, was arraigned on Monday and held on $7,500, which court records show he has since posted.
He is scheduled to return court on Aug. 28 for a pretrial hearing.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
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