Authorities in Somerville made a significant arrest last Thursday after a chase led to the capture of a man with a hefty cache of drugs and money. The Somerville Police Department, detailing the incident on their social media platforms, responded to a call from security at 333 Great River Road reporting suspicious activity. A security officer at the Avalon Parking Garage had spotted a man peering into the windows of parked cars and alerted the police.
The responding officers were promptly directed to the suspect's location, where they attempted to engage him. However, upon being approached, the suspect decided to flee, leading police on a foot chase. In a dramatic turn of events, the man eventually succumbed to fatigue, collapsed, and surrendered, admitting to having several outstanding warrants. These moments unfold in reality much like scenes from a movie, but the implications are far from fictitious. According to the Somerville Police Department, the suspect, identified as Claude Pelissier, was wanted on multiple arrest warrants from Malden and Boston.
When police recovered the black backpack discarded by Pelissier during the chase, they discovered a considerable quantity of controlled substances along with nearly ten thousand dollars in cash. The items seized included crack cocaine, powdered cocaine, morphine pills, liquid methadone, oxycodone pills, Gabapentin pills, Clonazepam pills, marijuana, and methamphetamine, alongside a digital scale.
Pelissier, a 36-year-old Everett resident, is now facing multiple drug-related charges, such as possession with intent to distribute and trafficking in a class "B" substance. In arresting Pelissier, the officers not only took a weighty amount of narcotics off the streets but also possibly interrupted a network of distribution that could extend beyond the confines of the parking garage where this singular event played out.
