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Officer fires gun during Haverhill incident
A suspect was injured and arraigned, and another is still on the run.
A police investigation in Haverhill took a dangerous turn Tuesday when an investigation turned into a motor vehicle chase that crossed town lines and involved an officer firing a gun.
Christopher Roque-Joaquin, 26, of Lawrence, was arraigned on Wednesday in Haverhill District Court following the car chase, according to the Essex County District Attorney’s office.
Police officers were conducting an investigation in the area of McDonald’s on Main Street at around 11:38 a.m., involving two people in a car.
After officers approached the vehicle, the driver, later identified as Roque-Joaquin, backed up into multiple police cars, struck an officer, and then proceeded to drive forward at other officers, the DA’s office said. A Haverhill officer then discharged his firearm.
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The car fled and was pursued by Haverhill and later Lawrence police officers into Lawrence, where both occupants abandoned it.
Roque-Joaquin was taken into custody a short time later, and first responders took him to an area hospital with injuries. Police have still not caught the second person in the car.
Roque-Joaquin was arraigned on charges tied to a preexisting warrant, which stemmed from allegations that he stole cases of Red Bull from a Market Basket grocery store on two occasions and was thwarted during a third attempt. He was charged with two counts of larceny under $1,200 and attempt to commit a crime.
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According to police police reports the theft incidents happened in April, July, and August of this year.
Roque-Joaquin was also charged with two counts of being a fugitive from justice due to outstanding warrants issued in New Hampshire related to alleged theft from a Walmart and receiving a stolen vehicle.
The court ordered Roque-Joaquin to be held on $25,000 bail on the larceny charges and held without bail on the fugitive charges.
A pretrial hearing for Roque-Joaquin is scheduled for Dec. 11.
Due to the active investigation, the DA’s office is withholding the involved officer’s name.
The incident is being investigated by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the DA’s office, along with MSP Crime Scene Services and Ballistics and several other MSP troopers and units.
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