Ammunition Strewn On Road, Man Arrested In East Providence

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — A Florida man arrested in East Providence Friday is facing more than a hundred charges after being accused of shooting at an Estrell Drive home and leading police on a chaos-causing chase through town.

The man, identified as 43-year-old Joshua D. Pavao from Kissimmee, is accused of first shooting at the home around 2:20 p.m. Friday in a "targeted attack," striking and shattering the rear window of a car, police said.

Pavao then took off in his black Nissan Armada, where he traveled from Pawtucket Avenue to Crown Avenue, then Silver Spring Avenue and Dodge Street, Vincent Avenue, and Cushman Avenue, and continued through the Warren Avenue intersection before arriving back at Pawtucket Avenue — all while repeatedly losing police, evading an attempted traffic stop, and striking another vehicle at the intersection, authorities said.

Finally, Pavao sped through a red light at the Taunton Avenue intersection and hit multiple vehicles, rendering his vehicle inoperable as he came to a stop on Pawtucket Avenue between Chase Bank and the Davenport's Restaurant parking lot, according to police. He attempted to flee on foot, but was chased down by police and taken into custody.

Three cars were damaged — two severely — and two people were injured in the collisions with Pavao's car, police said. Numerous loaded long gun magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition were strewn around the area, with thousands of additional rounds of ammunition found inside the car, according to police.

During the police chase, two officers were involved in a car crash near Dover Avenue and Gardiner Street, causing a police vehicle to come into contact with and cause minor damage to a house, police added. One officer was taken to the hospital, treated, and released.

No guns were found on Pavao, at the scene, or in his car, police said. However, a backpack, three loaded handguns, a rifle, and a bulletproof vest were found by a civilian in a leafy area off Boyd Avenue and reported to police.

Pavao's charges are as follows:

• 106 counts of Possessing a Large Capacity Feeding Device
• 2 counts License or Permit Required for Carrying a Pistol
• Discharge of a Firearm from a Motor Vehicle
• Firing in a Compact Area
• Eluding an Officer with a Motor Vehicle in a High-Speed Pursuit
• Duty to Stop for an Accident Resulting in Injury
• Duty to Stop for an Accident with Occupied Vehicle
• Vandalism
• Obstructing an Officer in Execution of Duty

"This was an extremely volatile situation involving a dangerous and unpredictable suspect who put so many of our residents and police officers in harm's way," Chief Christopher Francesconi with the East Providence Police Department said in a news release. "My officers and dispatchers handled this very serious situation with great professionalism and restraint."

Francesconi added that the investigation is ongoing as authorities "try to understand the motives and intentions of the suspect."