Chelsea Street Gunfire Leads to One Arrest

Boston Police arrested an East Boston man in connection with allegedly firing a gun Sunday evening on the corner of Chelsea and Porter Streets.

Stephen Woodard, 30, of East Boston. Woodard was arraigned in East Boston District Court on charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Carrying a Loaded Firearm on a Public Way, Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number, Discharging a Firearm within 500 Feet of a Dwelling, Assault by Means of a Dangerous Weapon, Breaking and Entering of a Motor Vehicle, and Armed Career Criminal.

The incident occurred on Sunday just before 7:30 p.m. when officers from District A-7 police station responded to a radio call for a person with a gun in the area of Chelsea Street and Porter Street.

According to police, several witnesses directed officers to an unknown male suspect, later identified as Woodard, who was sitting in a car and in possession of a firearm.

Witnesses led police to Woodard who had entered a motor vehicle that was parked in the lot across from Santarpio’s Pizza after firing off several rounds.

Officers approached and observed Woodard bleeding from the hand and sitting in the driver’s seat of a gray motor vehicle that had a shattered driver’s side window.

Officers asked Woddard if he had been shot, but he sat stoically, refusing to answer the officers. Woodard had his hands between his legs down by the floor of the vehicle. Officers repeatedly asked the male if he was in possession of a firearm or if he had been shot, eventually the male answered no to both questions.

Officers removed Woodard from the vehicle and subsequently recovered a folding knife in his front pants pocket. Partially under the driver’s seat where Woodard had his hands, officers located a Rock Island Armory 45 caliber firearm. Officers also observed ballistic damage to the vehicle.

After taking Woodard in custody officers spoke to a victim who said he had picked up food from a restaurant in the area and walked toward his car when he observed Woodard pulling on the door handle of the victim’s car. The victim told Woodard that the car belonged to him, causing the Woodard to walk away from the victim’s car.

Woodard then approached another vehicle and again attempted to gain entry by pulling on the door handle. The victim said he asked the suspect what he was doing and Woodard responded by allegedly pulling out a firearm. The victim stated he fled the area, hearing several gunshots as he walked away.

Additional victims stated they had exited the same restaurant and were walking to the parking lot when the suspect proceeded towards the two of them and allegedly pointed a firearm at them. The victims who were inside their motor vehicle, fled the parking lot at a high rate of speed, hearing multiple gunshots ringing out from the area.

Another witness stated he had observed Woodard allegedly waving the firearm, before shooting at a motor vehicle and fleeing the area.

According to reports, Woodward is the same man that made national headlines last year for stealing a truck full of lobsters from a Boston pier and fleeing to Charlestown. Woodard was arrested after two other lobstermen in refrigerator trucks pursued Woodard into Charlestown and rammed into the stolen truck. In June 2010, Woodard, then 20, escaped from a Suffolk County sheriff’s van. He ran on foot before stealing a Department of Public Works vehicle and leading officers on a brief chase. Woodard ditched the vehicle and took off running again. Three days later, he surrendered to the police at an apartment in Charlestown.

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