Road-Rage Suspect From Marlborough Held Without Bail

AYER - A 27-year-old Marlborough man with a history of domestic-violence charges was ordered held without bail as a danger to society after Littleton police say Steven Perez brandished a loaded firearm and shot at another car during a road-rage incident on I-495 on Sunday.

In Ayer District Court on Wednesday, Judge Elizabeth Cremens ordered Perez held without bail on charges of : armed assault to murder; two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; negligent operation of a motor vehicle; carrying a loaded firearm without a license; possession of ammunition without a license; discharging a firearm near a highway; receiving stolen property over $250; leaving the scene of property damage and marked lanes violation.

Prosecutor Andrew Eneson told the judge that at 3:15 p.m. on March 5, State Police received several calls from other motorists on I-495 who reported a hispanic man driving a red Honda with gold rims was driving aggressively and brandishing a firearm.

One witness told police that he heard "a shot ring out'' and saw "a flash of light'' as the gun was fired, Eneson said.

It is unclear if another car was struck by a bullet, but there were no reports of any injuries, according to police. None of the witnesses were familiar with the driver of the Honda, police said.

The Honda then tried to cut off another driver to exit the highway and ended up hitting the other car, then fleeing the scene, Eneson alleges.

After speaking to the witnesses who provided a license plate number, police located the car outside a Marlborough apartment where Perez's cousin lives, Eneson said. When police searched the home they saw a screen in a bedroom window had been kicked out. In a bush under the window, police found ammunition and a firearm. Police discovered the firearm had been reported stolen out of Spencer in 2011, Eneson said.

Police viewed the apartment complex's security video which shows Perez pulling up to the building in his Honda, Eneson said. Perez could be seen going to the passengerside and then placing an item against his right hip and running into the building, Eneson said.

In asking that Perez be held without bail, Eneson described this road-rage incident as an "extremely serious and extremely dangerous'' incident.

Defense attorney Ryan Sullivan asked that Perez be released to live with his father in Brockton wearing a GPS monitoring bracelet and living under 24-hour house arrest.

Sullivan noted "the facts don't fit the charges.''

While Perez is charged with armed assault to murder, Sullivan said there is no indication of who was being fired upon and if he meant to kill that person. And there is no evidence that a bullet struck another car, Sullivan said.

And Sullivan agrees that police found a working firearm in the bushes, but "the real questoin is whose weapon is this?''

While Perez, a budding Christian rapper and race-car mechanic, has a number of domestic-assault charges and one active restraining order, most of the charges were dismissed, Sullivan said.

Perez is scheduled for a probable-cause hearing on April 5.

Photo of Steven Perez by Lisa Redmond at lisa.redmond@patch.com.