(Updated) Rooftop chase through Roxbury ends in arrests
Credit: File photo
It’s a police chase more commonly seen in a movie, but one officer from the Boston Police Department actually chased a group of men across rooftops last weekend, jumping from one to the other.
Police were called to 580 Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury just after midnight Saturday for a report of a man with a gun. When officers arrived they could hear a disturbance coming from inside the building and stationed themselves at all possible exit points.
Standing at the back of the building, Officer Michael Holden saw three men try to leave, but the men saw him and allegedly ran into a nearby building, police said. Holden chased them into that building and up to the roof.
With Holden right behind them, the men jumped from one roof to another, even with a four-foot gap separating the buildings that were four stories high.
Holden didn’t want to give up on the chase and leave himself in a vulnerable position, so he decided to follow them.
“I gave it some serious consideration and decided to follow them over,” Holden said. “Luckily for me I was able to place all three of them under arrest with very little incident.”
Officers Eliseo Marrero and James O’Loughlin also made their way up to the roof to assist Holden after breaking through a nailed shut door leading to the top of the building.
Three other men inside the apartment were also arrested by officers.
It appeared from the police statement that the three men who fled to the rooftops had a reason to run. Police said their search of the apartment netted three guns, a bullet proof vest, 12 pounds of marijuana, more than 200 grams of cocaine and 190 grams of heroin.
Police estimated the drugs had a street value of about $50,000.
The arrested suspects were arraigned Monday. The six men range in age from 20 to 38. Five of the men were ordered held on $200,000 cash bail. The other was ordered held on $50,000 cash bail. One of the men, Maykor Baez, 20, of Roslindale, had his bail on an open case revoked. He was released in December after his 2011 arrest for gun and drug possession because his drugs were tested by alleged rogue chemist Annie Dookhan.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
