A man and a woman faced a judge Tuesday after leading police on a high-speed chase in an SUV allegedly tied to a shooting.
The pursuit ended in South Boston and wound up with car parts scattered across the road. Cellphone video showed one of the suspects running away from police and tripping on a sidewalk before running into a parking lot.
The pursuit ended near the corner of West First Street and Pappas Way. Two people were arrested and could face additional charges for a separate incident that police said sparked the high-speed chase.
Massachusetts State Police found a black gun, and clear evidence it had been used recently, next to a white SUV after the person accused of driving it led them on the pursuit. According to police, the white SUV was potentially involved in a shooting, though it's uncertain where.
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A state trooper spotted the vehicle at about 10 p.m. on the Neponset Avenue Bridge and tried to stop it before the driver took off. State police called Boston police for assistance, and the two agencies set up a tire deflation device near the entrance to Castle Island entrance that damaged the car and slowed it down before officers were eventually able to bring it to a stop.
Prosecutors identified the two suspects on Tuesday as 30-year-old Christopher Meade and 23-year-old Kailynn Almeida, who told a judge they share a child together. They allegedly fled from police in Braintree on Monday night, with Almeida driving.
Court documents said the SUV ended up near F Street after slamming into a Boston police cruiser. The SUV was blocked, with a state police trooper pointing his gun at Almeida. Meade then jumped out of the SUV in front of witnesses. Police ran after Meade until he wound up in a muddy area and was taken into custody.
"I heard what was a metal scraping against the ground, think of it like a muffler. [I] got up to go check what it was and saw a car on two wheels," said a South Boston resident who wished to remain anonymous.
"Police barricaded the individual in. One of the gentlemen jumped out the passenger seat," he said. "There were like 20-30 cops trailing behind."
"I just saw the cops chasing after them," added Jason Krauss, another witness. "Yeah, it was pretty crazy."
Boston police officers are now investigating any connection with the two people to that prior shooting, according to state police. They said they found a backpack spotted earlier with Meade, containing a handgun, bullets and drugs.
Meade's sister spoke with NBC10 Boston as she left court on Tuesday, saying her brother is innocent.
"Why don't you look into the [expletive] that Boston police is doing," she said. "Of course he's innocent."
Meade was ordered held without bail Tuesday pending a dangerousness hearing next week. Almeida's bail was set at $2,500 and she is scheduled to return to court next month.
