BOSTON, May 20, 2016— An alleged career criminal was held on high bail at his arraignment today on charges he fired the stray bullet that struck a woman as she left church, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JAMES MARTIN Jr. (D.O.B. 3/7/94)  of Dorchester was arraigned today in Dorchester Municipal Court on charges of armed assault to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.  He was additionally charged as a Level III armed career because of prior convictions for distribution of a Class B substance in 2014 and for assault and battery in 2013 and 2014.

Assistant District Attorney Marc Tohme requested bail of $500,000 with orders that Martin wear a GPS monitor and remain under house arrest in the event he is to be released on bail.  Tohme moved to revoke bail on Martin’s open cases in Dorchester charging trespass and in Lynn charging him with violating a restraining order.  Judge Serge Georges imposed bail of $150,000, imposed the requested conditions of release, and revoked Martin’s bail in the Lynn case.  He additionally ordered Martin held without bail on an open probation matter.

Tohme told the court that Boston Police responded to the area of 651 Washington St. on Friday, May 13, at approximately 6:37 p.m., where a 52-year-old woman had been grazed in the forehead by a bullet while sitting inside a vehicle shortly after exiting an area church.

During the course of their investigation, Boston Police obtained security camera footage from multiple locations that captured a man at the intersection of Washington and Euclid streets firing several shots in the direction of two men involved in an apparent argument in front of 651 Washington St.  The bullets did not strike either man, but one bullet instead grazed the victim who had just entered a vehicle near where the men stood.

Officers familiar with Martin viewed the video and positively identified the shooter captured on video as Martin, prosecutors said.

Police encountered Martin in the area of Gibson Street and Dorchester Avenue yesterday afternoon and engaged him in conversation from a marked cruiser.  In the course of that conversation, the officers observed him to be wearing a distinctive baseball cap identical to the one worn by the gunman in the video clips. As an officer exited the cruiser, Martin fled on foot.  He was taken into custody after a pursuit.

Martin was represented by Makis Antzoulatos.  He returns to court June 21.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.