A Boston Police Department cruiser was vandalized and a Brighton man was arrested on firearm charges Friday night after an encounter with a large group that police described as “hostile” and threatening.
The incident unfolded at around 9:21 p.m. in the vicinity of Almont Park on Orlando Street in Brighton. Officers noticed a gathering of around 20 individuals near the park.
As a police cruiser drove through Orlando Street, two members of the group entered the park, while three others approached the cruiser, according to a police statement.
Following a brief interaction with the group, officers left the area. However, two individuals who had entered the park soon returned to the street, prompting police to request additional units to assist in dispersing the crowd.
Upon arrival of reinforcements, the group’s demeanor shifted, becoming what police characterized as “hostile” toward the officers.
At this point, Joshua Villar-Diaz, 21, of Brighton was seen walking into the park again, according to police. Officers began following Villar-Diaz, who repeatedly looked back at their location before sprinting, leading to a foot chase.
During the pursuit, officers communicated via radio that Villar-Diaz was “clutching his waistband.” Other officers positioned on the opposite side of the park noticed him running in their direction, still holding his waistband. They then drew their firearms and ordered him to stop.
Villar-Diaz threw the Glock 43 to the side before putting his hands up. The firearm was found to contain one round in the chamber and nine rounds in the magazine, police said.
Villar-Diaz was arrested and is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on four firearm-related charges including carrying a firearm without a license 2nd offense, carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license and firearm violation with two prior violent/drug crimes.
As officers were detaining Villar-Diaz, they received alerts from colleagues on Orlando Street indicating that the crowd was attempting to encircle them, the statement reads. Officers from various districts were then dispatched to the area to help disperse the group.
Police described many in the crowd as actively “enticing violence” and had “threatened physical harm to the officers.
After the situation was brought under control, officers discovered that their cruiser sustained damage. A cinder block was thrown through the rear windshield, shattering it, and a rear driver’s side tire had been slashed.
