Officer Able to Wrestle Gun from Suspect in Roslindale Village

An undercover Boston Police officer allegedly had to wrestle a gun from a suspect in Roslindale Village after pulling the Hyde Park resident off an MBTA bus.

On Jan. 23 around 5:40 p.m., Malcolm R. Powell, of 5 Warren Ave., Hyde Park, was arrested and charged with illegal possession of a firearm, a 32-caliber 6-shot revolver; illegal possesion of ammunition (six rounds); resisting arrest; assault and battery on a police office; possession of a class B drug, crack-cocaine; and possession of a class D drug, marijuana. 

Members of the Boston Police E-5/E-18 Drug Control Unit allegedly witnessed a street level drug transaction between the suspect and an individual in a vehicle within the Roslindale Village area. One undercover officer got on an MBTA bus to follow the suspect, while another officer followed the vehicle, according to a Boston Police report. 

Identifying himself as a Boston Police officer, he asked the suspect to please exit the bus, which he complied around 4264 Washington St. While searching the suspect, he admitted to having "some weed" and produced a small plastic bag with a leafy green substance. The officer asked the suspect to put his hands on his head so he could further search him. The officer noted the suspect tried to shield himself as he was having his waistband area searched. The officer felt a hard cylindrical metal item by the suspect's waist, according to a Boston Police report. The officer felt the suspect was getting more and more nervous and saying things like, "I can't get arrested" and "I'm just going to school".

As the officer reached for what he believed to be a gun, the suspect began to push and struck the officer, and tried to flee. The officer was able to grab onto the suspect forcing him to the ground, and was able to alert officers via radio that he was in trouble. Fearing for his life and others in the area, the officer struggling with the suspect was yelling, "Gun! Gun! Gun!" Officers were able to detain the suspect and secure the firearm, a six-shot Smith & Wesson revolver.

While searching the suspect, police also found a plastic bag with seven individual bags with a white rock-like substance believed to be crack-cocaine. The suspect was asked for a license to carry a firearm, which he said he didn't have one to police.

The suspect was transported to Faulkner Hospital for an evaluation and then was subsequently released to Boston Police custody.

The officer involved in the struggle suffered an injury to his right hand, head, and was treated at Faulkner Hospital, as well as for exposure to bodily fluids. Another officer was also treated at Faulkner Hospital for exposure to bodily fluids.