BOSTON — Boston Police Department officers arrested a man and recovered a firearm following a traffic stop in Dorchester early Thursday morning.
At about 2:15 a.m., officers assigned to District B-2 (Roxbury) were patrolling the area of Columbia Road when they spotted a vehicle speeding.
The vehicle slowed to make a right turn onto Hamilton Street, prompting officers to activate their cruiser’s emergency lights and sirens to conduct a traffic stop.
Upon approaching the vehicle, officers observed multiple empty alcohol bottles and discovered that the driver, identified as 28-year-old James Perry Jr. of Dorchester, did not have a valid registration and was operating with an expired driver’s license.
When instructed to exit the vehicle, Perry Jr. hesitated, clutching a backpack between his legs and refusing to comply.
Officers assisted him out of the vehicle, at which point he resisted arrest and fled on foot.
Officers quickly called for backup and pursued Perry Jr., eventually apprehending him after a brief foot chase.
During the arrest, officers recovered a Springfield XD-9 handgun from Perry Jr.’s backpack.
The firearm was loaded with one round in the chamber and eleven rounds in a high-capacity magazine designed to hold thirteen rounds.
Perry Jr. now faces charges, including unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of a large capacity feeding device, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and resisting arrest.
He is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court.
