Man allegedly points gun at several people, damages vehicle with gunshots in East Boston
Stephen Woodard, 30, is facing several related charges.
When asked what he was doing after allegedly trying the door handles to a couple of cars in East Boston, a man allegedly pulled out a gun in response, according to Boston police.Stephen Woodard, 30, of East Boston, is now being charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm on a public way, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, and being an armed career criminal. He was expected to be arraigned on the charges in East Boston District Court, police said in a news release.Around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, police were called to the area of Chelsea and Porter streets for a report of a person with a gun. When officers arrived, witnesses directed them to the suspect, who they said had taken off on Bremen Street and was in a vehicle parked in the 111 Chelsea St. lot.When police went up to the vehicle, they found a man — later identified as Woodard — sitting in the driver’s seat. The adjacent car window had been broken, and the man appeared to have blood on his hands.“Officers asked the male if he had been shot, but he sat stoically, refusing to answer officers,” police said in the release. “The male had his hands between his legs down by the floor of the vehicle. Officers repeatedly asked the male if he was in possession of a firearm or if he had been shot, eventually the male answered no to both questions.”Officers took Woodard out of the vehicle and reportedly found he had a knife in the pocket of his pants. Officers then located a gun under the driver’s seat where Woodard had placed his hands and noticed the vehicle had sustained ballistic damage, according to the release.The man who questioned Woodard about pulling on the door handles reportedly took off when he saw the weapon and then heard gunshots as he fled. Two other people said they were walking to a parking lot when Woodard allegedly pointed the gun at them; they also heard the gunshots. All three witnesses had left the same restaurant, police said.Another man said he saw Woodard waving the gun before shooting at a vehicle and leaving the area.
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