Florida man, East Providence chase suspect given $100K bail at arraignment

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The man charged for allegedly firing a shots at a house and car in East Providence and later leading police on a chase that ended with live rounds filling a busy intersection appeared in court on Monday.

Joshua Pavao, 43, whose current address is listed in Florida, is facing 116 criminal charges.

Officials said 106 of his charges are for possession of a large-capacity feeding device, three are for carrying a firearm without a license, one for discharging a firearm from a vehicle, two counts of failing to stop at the time of an accident with an occupied motor vehicle, one count of firing in a compact area, two counts of vandalism, one count of reckless driving and another for eluding the police.

Pavao did not enter a plea Monday, and a judge set his bail at $100,000. He must also have no contact with the residents of the home on Estrell Drive that he allegedly shot at and surrender all of his firearms.

Once all conditions have been met by pre-trial services, Pavao will be able to travel back to his residence in Florida, but must return for future hearings in Rhode Island.

East Providence police said they received reports of shots fired at a home on Estrell Drive at 2:20 p.m., Friday. When officers arrived, a resident told them they saw Pavao, who they’ve known for years, allegedly shoot at a car in their driveway with a long-gun before fleeing the scene.

Police said they later located Pavao’s car traveling on Pawtucket Avenue and attempted to perform a traffic stop. Pavao allegedly fled down multiple residential streets despite officers following with lights and sirens activated.

At one point during the chase, an East Providence police cruiser crashed into a home on Dover Avenue. Police said Pavao also drove through a school zone at a high rate of speed, coming in close contact with a crossing guard who was directing traffic.

Pavao is further accused of striking an occupied vehicle on Waterman Avenue before striking three more on the intersection of Pawtucket Avenue and Taunton Avenue, rendering his vehicle inoperable.

Numerous magazines, thousands of live rounds and a bag with $14,250 in cash were thrown from the vehicle and into the street during the crash. Pavao allegedly fled that scene on foot and was arrested a short time later.

Police said they retraced the chase route which is where they found three loaded handguns, several large-capacity magazines, hundreds of rifle rounds, a bulletproof vest, and a gas mask.

It is further alleged that Pavao can be seen on surveillance footage discarding the items off the road during the pursuit.

Pavao’s next court date is set for March 18, 2024 in Providence County Superior Court.