BOSTON, Jan. 23, 2015—Three men were held on high bail today after Boston Police attempting to serve a warrant successfully pursued them through Adams Village even after one of the suspects allegedly drove a car at one of them and pointed a loaded firearm at three others, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.
The three men arraigned today in Dorchester Municipal Court were:
- TONY EVANS (D.O.B. 1/15/91) of Mattapan, charged with unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawful possession of a large-capacity feeding device, and resisting arrest. Based on prior convictions, including a 2010 gun conviction for which he served four years in state prison, he was charged as an armed career criminal. He was held on $100,000 cash bail.
- TONY HARRIS (D.O.B.8/9/89) of Everett, charged today with unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, and unlawful possession of a large-capacity feeding device. In light of his prior convictions, including a 2010 conviction for armed assault with intent to murder, he was charged as an armed career criminal. He was held on $100,000 cash bail.
- DANIEL MURPHY-WILKINS (D.O.B. 3/29/94) of Roxbury, charged with four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and single counts of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, and resisting arrest. He was held on $150,000 cash bail.
All three defendants were additionally ordered to wear GPS monitoring devices, remain under home confinement, and stay away from each other in the event that they post bail.
Assistant District Attorney Alaina Anderson told the court that Boston Police officers assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force were seeking Evans in order to serve a warrant on an unrelated firearms case on him. Shortly before 4:00, officers spotted him leaving a residence on Woodruff Way and enter a black Ford Explorer idling nearby.
Police followed the vehicle with the intention of stopping it and arresting Evans. The vehicle made several turns in an apparent effort to shake surveillance, however, and the officers activated their lights and sirens in a parking lot near the corner of Gallivan Boulevard and Granite Avenue. One unmarked cruiser pulled in behind the Explorer and another pulled in ahead of it.
As one officer exited the front cruiser, the Explorer accelerated at and nearly struck him. The officer leapt out of the way as the Explorer sped across two eastbound lanes of traffic and the median strip on Gallivan Boulevard, turned left, and struck a traffic signal post near the Adams Street intersection.
The Explorer continued west at a high rate of speed, cutting in and out of oncoming traffic before turning onto Washington Street. Three occupants bailed out of the vehicle and fled on foot. The driver – later identified as Murphy-Wilkins – ran onto Codman Hill Avenue with officers in pursuit. He allegedly turned and pointed a handgun at the officers, who drew their weapons and ordered him to drop his gun.
Murphy-Wilkins dropped the firearm and struggled violently as he was taken into custody. The weapon he dropped was found to be a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson revolver loaded with five rounds of ammunition.
The front seat passenger, later identified as Harris, fled into a nearby yard and was apprehended a short time later. The back seat passenger, later identified as Evans, also fled into a back yard. Officers apprehended him as he watched other officers pursue his co-defendants. He, too, is accused of violently resisting arrest.
The front passenger’s side window was rolled down. Underneath the front passenger’s seat, officers recovered a large-capacity handgun magazine loaded with eight rounds of ammunition and one loose round of ammunition. In light of these facts, the officers believed that Harris may have tossed a handgun from his window. They searched the area and recovered a Jiminez Arms 9mm semiautomatic handgun in the area of 250 Gallivan Blvd.
The Explorer, a rental vehicle, was seized and towed from the scene.
“This is another reminder that police officers never know what awaits them when they go to serve a warrant, make an arrest, or answer a call for help,” Conley said. “Policework like this doesn’t just take guns and the men who would use them off of Boston’s streets. It saves lives.”
All three defendants will be back in court on Feb. 23.
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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
