BOSTON — Beacon Hill’s million-dollar calm was shattered at sunrise when gunfire echoed through its narrow brick lanes. Boston police shot a knife-wielding maniac who was completely naked after he allegedly tried to force his way into a restaurant in one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods.

The drama erupted just after 6 a.m. on Mount Vernon Street, where terrified 911 calls sent cops in tactical gear rushing to the scene. A police dog strained at its leash as officers pushed into a rear alley, confronting the unclothed suspect waving a blade just steps from multi-million-dollar residences.

Superintendent Paul McLaughlin said officers fired Tasers first, but the crazed intruder shrugged off the jolts. Seconds later, bullets rang out — a sound more familiar to Roxbury or Mattapan than Beacon Hill’s postcard blocks. The maniac crumpled, bleeding, and was rushed to a hospital. His condition remains unknown.

Neighbors in silk robes peered from their windows as yellow tape went up across the historic block, a crime scene in the shadow of the State House. In a neighborhood where safety is often taken for granted, Wednesday’s spectacle left one chilling question hanging in the air: if chaos can storm Beacon Hill, is anywhere in Boston truly safe?