A Jamaica Plain man was held on high bail after a routine inquiry by Boston Police prompted him to run away and toss a loaded handgun with an obliterated serial number, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said today.

KRISTOPHER JORDAN (D.O.B. 10/11/86) was arraigned yesterday in Dorchester District Court on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, unlawful possession of ammunition, unlawfully carrying a loaded firearm, and trespassing.

Noting Jordan’s past convictions for drug, assault, and larceny offenses, Assistant District Attorney Brendan Cox recommended that he be held on $50,000 cash bail; Judge James Coffey set bail at $20,000 but ordered Jordan held without bail for allegedly violating the terms of his probation on an earlier Dorchester trespassing case.

Boston Police patrolling the Grove Hall area early Saturday morning in the aftermath of a call for a man with a gun observed Jordan and another man loitering on the steps in front of 500 Blue Hill Ave. Jordan was sitting directly beneath a sign reading “No Trespassing” and his associate was standing facing the sign.

The officers, familiar with many neighborhood residents, didn’t recognize the men. Further, they observed the men to have stopped talking upon their cruiser’s approach and appeared to be avoiding looking at the officers.

The officers exited their cruiser and approached the men to speak with them. When asked if they lived at 500 Blue Hill Ave., both men replied, “No.” Jordan’s associate – later identified as STEPHEN SOLOMON (D.O.B. 7/4/88) of Everett – indicated that they were waiting for a friend named “Josh” but could not provide his last name.

Jordan and Solomon allegedly began to grow visibly nervous, with Jordan moving away from the wall and quickly looking from left to right while Solomon backed away from the officers. Based on all of their observations and the nature of their patrol, the officers made the decision to charge both men with trespassing.

At that point, Jordan began running down Castlegate Road toward Normandy Street. One officer chased after him while the other remained with Solomon to place him in handcuffs. During the chase, the pursuing officer saw Jordan make a motion at his waistband and heard a sound as if something metallic had hit the ground.

As additional Boston Police units responded to the scene, the pursuing officer saw Jordan cross Normandy Street and attempt to duck behind a parked sport-utility vehicle. The officer quickly located him, ordered him away from the vehicle, and placed him under arrest.

Other officers arriving at the scene located a .380 caliber Beretta semiautomatic handgun up Castlegate Road along Jordan’s path of flight. Using a thermal imaging device, which records heat output the way a conventional camera records light, officers found that the firearm was much warmer than its surroundings – a sign that it had recently been carried by a person and still retained the carrier’s body heat.
The firearm was later found to be loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. Its serial number had been obliterated. Jordan allegedly acknowledged that he did not have a license to carry the weapon and stated that he needed it “for protection.”

Jordan will return to court on Sept. 19. Solomon will be summonsed to appear for arraignment on the trespassing charge at a later date.