Yesterday afternoon at about 4:05pm, officers assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force responded to a detail officer’s radio transmission of shots fired in the area of Columbia Road and Stanwood Street. The officers received further information that a group of individuals were observed fleeing the area, running down Stanwood Street. Officers obtained information that the shooting suspect was a black male about 15-17 years old, wearing a grey \”hoody\” and blue jeans. When the officers reached Intervale Street, they observed a suspect motor vehicle stopped in traffic headed inbound on Warren Street just beyond Intervale Street. Officers were aware that the operator, Johnson, did not possess a valid Massachusetts driver’s license. Furthermore, officers observed the passenger, Hall, to be wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt that matched the description of the broadcast from earlier. As officers exited their unmarked cruiser on Warren Street, suspect Johnson drove forward, crossed the double yellow lines and began to travel inbound on Warren Street on the outbound/wrong side of the road. Officers immediately notified operations and began to pursue the motor vehicle on foot as the vehicle approached Elm Hill Avenue. Other members of the Youth Violence Strike Force, who were also responding to the call for shots fired were traveling outbound on Warren Street at Elm Hill Avenue with their emergency blue lights and siren activated when they heard the officers radio transmission and observed the suspect motor vehicle fleeing from officers while driving on the wrong side of the road. The suspect motor vehicle came to a stop on Warren Street opposite Elm Hill Park. As the officers approached, they did observe the passenger, Hall, remove a handgun from his waistband, bend down and place the firearm under the passenger seat. Officer then gained entrance to the rear of the motor vehicle in an attempt to restrain the suspect. Suspect Hall was removed from the passenger seat and restrained. Other officers arrived and removed the operator, Johnson and placed him under arrest. A loaded firearm was recovered from the motor vehicle. The arresting officers spoke to sergeant who had broadcasted the original incident. The Sergeant informed officers that while performing a paid detail at 185 Columbia Road he heard about multiple shots fired at which time he observed a group of males run down Stanwood Street toward Blue Hill Avenue. Further investigation revealed that the recovered firearm was reported stolen in 2005 from Revere. Nicholas Hall, 17, of Dorchester will be charged with unlawful carrying of a firearm (second subsequent offense), unlawful possession of ammunition, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling and receiving stolen property (firearm). Carmaine Johnson, 19, of Dorchester will be charged with operating a motor vehicle without being licensed, failure to stop for a police officer and driving to endanger. They will both be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on Monday morning.
