Braintree Police Officer Eyes Chaos of Marathon Explosions

When the second explosion rocked Boylston Street Monday afternoon, Cheryl Gillis went one way and her husband Peter went the other.

Peter Gillis, an off-duty Braintree police officer, and his friend, Quincy cop Gregg Hartnett, ran in the direction of the blast and the finish line.

Like many first responders near the scene – including those in and out of uniform – the first instinct Gillis and Hartnett experienced was to help the injured.

They were quickly stopped, however, by members of the Boston Police Department, who were trying to clear the scene and get a handle on a situation that had emerged without warning.

"It was complete chaos," Gillis said in an interview Monday night. "Boston police were running one way and everyone else was running the other way."

Two separate explosions killed at least three people and injured more than 130, many severely, shortly before 3 p.m. Another device was detonated by Boston police and a fourth incident, potentially unrelated, happened across the city at the JFK Library, according to the Boston Globe.

Gillis, a Braintree High School graduate and Iraq War veteran, set out at 9 a.m. Monday with his wife to watch the marathon with a few friends. Kevin Timulty, a fellow Braintree officer, was among the runners. They parked under the Boston Common and set up at the Cactus Club on Boylston near the finish line.

"We went this morning without a care in the world," Gillis said.

The first explosion confused Gillis at first. It sounded like a cannon, and he said he thought to himself, in all the times he had been to the marathon, "That's never happened before."

Then about 10 seconds later, a hundred yards or so from the first, another boom.

"When the second one went off, I was like 'Oh shit!'" Gillis said.

After breaking off with his friend, Gillis was able to find his wife about 30 minutes later. Phone calls weren't getting through, but text messages, using less bandwidth, were working.

Three of Cheryl's friends were injured in the first explosion. They were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital and treated for cuts to their arms and legs, Gillis said.

Eventually he and his wife walked back to their car and drove out of the city.