Alleged DV Assault Leads to Chase, Arrest

BOSTON, Dec. 30, 2013—A Mattapan man was arraigned today on charges that he assaulted a woman, hit a responding Boston police officer with a car, and led others on a pursuit before being arrested, District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

JEROMIE JOHNSON (D.O.B. 12/6/81) was arraigned on two counts of assault and battery on a police officer and a single count each of assault and battery, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and failure to stop.  Assistant District Attorney Tai Antoine requested that bail be set at $5,000 and Johnson be ordered to stay away from the location of the incident and refrain from abusing the woman whom he had allegedly assaulted.  Judge John E. McDonald set $2,000 bail and granted the no abuse order.

According to prosecutors, Boston Police officers responded to the area of Magnolia and Robin Hood streets shortly after 6:00 p.m. Saturday for a report of a man with a gun.

Officers arrived to find a man later identified as Johnson sitting inside a rented 2013 Volvo SUV at the intersection of Magnolia and Robin Hood streets and ordered him to show his hands.

As officers stood in front of the stopped vehicle, Johnson accelerated, running over the foot of one officer and forcing a second officer to jump out of the way, prosecutors said.  As he fled, Johnson drove onto the sidewalk at Emrose Terrace and Magnolia Street and struck a “One Way” sign, prosecutors said.

During a pursuit, Johnson traveled the wrong way on Columbia Road and then Glenarm Street, at which point the pursuit was called off, prosecutors said.

At approximately 6:30 p.m., police received a call that the same SUV had hit a parked car and was now stopped at a Powellton Road address, prosecutors said.  Johnson was taken into custody.  He was not found to be in possession of a firearm.

Police learned that Johnson had recently been staying with a woman who lived at the address.  She told police that she and Johnson became involved in an argument during which Johnson pushed her.  He left the location but called the victim and allegedly made statements that he was retrieving a “hammer” – a slang term for a gun, prosecutors said.

While retracing the path of the pursuit, officers were approached by a witness claiming to have seen the SUV pass the house numerous times and heard the driver shout out the window that he would shoot up the building, prosecutors said.  The witness provided a license plate number that matched that of the SUV involved the pursuit. Despite a search of the area, no weapon was found.

Conley urged victims of any crime, including domestic violence, to call 911 in an emergency. SafeLink, a statewide DV hotline, can be reached at 877-785-2020. SafeLink is answered by trained advocates 24 hours a day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, as well as TTY at 877-521-2601. It also has the capacity to provide multilingual translation in more than 140 languages.

Johnson is represented by Samuel Higer. He will return to court Feb. 27.

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