Last night, Salvador Maldonado of Manchester, New Hampshire, was arrested after being linked to an alleged assault involving a gun scare in Mattapan. The incident occurred at about 6:56 PM on Monday, August 5, 2024, when Boston Police officers responded to a call about an individual with a gun at 95 Morton Village Drive, as reported by the Boston Police Department's official website.
The sequence of events began when a victim, stopped at a red light, reported seeing the driver of another vehicle brandish a firearm at her. Officers received a description of the suspect and their vehicle, and while the investigation at the first scene was ongoing, another 911 call came in with the report of a similar incident at 49 Burt Street. Upon arriving, District C-11 (Dorchester) officers spotted a vehicle that matched the reported description, and approached Maldonado who was inside it, along with the evident sighting of a brown rifle on the front passenger seat.
Without incident, police detained Maldonado and upon closer inspection, the firearm was identified as a Sig Sauer MCX Airsoft Rifle. After further investigation, police established that Maldonado was the individual connected to both 911 calls. According to an announcement on the Boston Police Department's official website, "Officers immediately placed the suspect into handcuffs, and the firearm was determined to be a Sig Sauer MCX Airsoft Rifle."
Maldonado is now facing charges of Two Counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court. The incident, which thankfully did not escalate into physical violence, has stirred conversations in the community about gun safety and the implications of wielding what might appear to be a real firearm in public spaces.
