23-year-old charged for assaulting officers in Boston Common
BOSTON (WLNE) — District Attorney Kevin Hayden said a man who was caught drinking in public was charged for assaulting two officers during a struggle in Boston Common.
According to court documents, 23-year-old Isaias Plaza, of East Boston was charged with the following:
- Carrying a firearm without a license
- Carrying a loaded firearm without a license
- Carrying a firearm in the commission of a felony
- Possession of ammunition without an FID card
- Resisting arrest
- Possession with intent to distribute a Class-B substance
- Drinking alcohol in public
- Assault and battery on a police officer (two counts)
Officials said just after 7 p.m. on Friday, Boston police officers on bikes saw a man in Boston Common, later identified as Plaza, walking with an open container of a suspected alcoholic drink.
The officers said when Plaza noticed them, he tried to hide the bottle. When they approached Plaza, they said he threw the bottle into a trash can and ignored their requests for him to stop.
When officers asked for Plaza’s ID, they said he provided a fake name and said he didn’t have one. He later attempted to flee police on foot.
Authorities said one of the officers was able to grab onto the hood of Plaza’s sweatshirt to keep him from fleeing but Plaza then began fighting the officers.
During the altercation, another police officer said they noticed a silver handgun on the ground. They quickly recovered the gun and found it was loaded with six bullets.
They also said they found a plastic bag containing what officials believed to be crack cocaine in Plaza’s pocket.
Plaza has two outstanding warrants, one from Central Boston and the other from Chelsea District Court.
“Boston Common is a bustling area with many residents, workers and tourists, especially during a holiday weekend,” DA Hayden said.
“We have seen a concerning uptick in gun violence with blatant disregard for public safety, and getting any illegal firearm off the street is a step in the right direction. I commend these officers for the quick actions that led to this outcome,” Hayden concluded.
