A 31-year-old Roxbury man is facing federal kidnapping and firearms charges after prosecutors say he broke into his pregnant girlfriend's Rhode Island apartment, pistol-whipped and choked her, then forced her into a car and drove north into Massachusetts, triggering a rush-hour chase that ended with eight vehicles struck on Interstate 93. Dominic Hampton-Boyd was formally charged in federal court in Boston on Monday with kidnapping and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.
An Early Morning Assault in East Providence
According to federal court records described by Universal Hub, the victim was Hampton-Boyd's pregnant girlfriend and the mother of his children, and the abduction began at her apartment in East Providence on the morning of August 12. The same outlet reported that an FBI Violent Crimes Task Force trooper's affidavit describes Hampton-Boyd threatening to kill the victim in the days before the abduction, after she said she would tell his associates something about him — he allegedly warned her that she would die before she did so. Universal Hub's account notes that the victim had contacted Hampton-Boyd to ask him to return an Infiniti QX60 SUV he had borrowed from her.
Court documents cited by MassLive allege that Hampton-Boyd entered the victim's Rhode Island home without her knowledge, hit her on the side of the forehead with a pistol, choked her, and forced her into a car. Federal prosecutors say he then asked her, do you want to die here or in Boston? MassLive reports the victim tried to exit the vehicle several times as Hampton-Boyd drove into Massachusetts, and she eventually called 911.
Rush-Hour Chase Ends in Eight-Car Crash in Milton
The pursuit that followed shut down part of the Southeast Expressway during the height of morning traffic. Per prosecutors, as relayed by MassLive, Hampton-Boyd accelerated when police tried to pull the car over, then hit several cars on I-93 before trying to run away on foot; police arrested him at the scene. CBS News reported that Massachusetts State Police chased him along the northbound Southeast Expressway from Quincy beginning shortly after 7 a.m. until he struck eight vehicles and crashed near Exit 11 in Milton, where troopers tackled him as he tried to flee.
A WBZ NewsRadio traffic reporter captured the chase live on a drone camera hovering near the HOV lane, describing the suspect weaving through heavy commuter traffic as looking like a James Bond movie, according to CBS News. Aerial footage showed the SUV repeatedly striking surrounding vehicles as it fled from state troopers.
Gun Charges Tied to a Prior Armed Robbery Conviction
Investigators say they found a privately made Glock-style semiautomatic pistol loaded with 9mm rounds inside the car, according to federal prosecutors cited by MassLive. Hampton-Boyd is barred from possessing firearms or ammunition because of a prior state conviction for armed robbery, the outlet reported. Massachusetts court records reported by Universal Hub show he was sentenced in April 2022 in Suffolk Superior Court to five years in state prison after pleading guilty to armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, with credit for nearly six months already served before his plea.
Massachusetts law covers specified knowing conduct involving an untraceable firearm, including making, assembling, importing, selling or transferring one, and purchasing or receiving one with knowledge; possession or control is prima facie evidence of a violation, though no appellate court has decided whether the amended offense is a felony or misdemeanor, according to the Serpa Law Office. Under federal law, the maximum sentence for a felon in possession of a firearm rose from 10 to 15 years after the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, according to the Federal Register.
Parallel State and Federal Cases
Following the August 12 arrest, Boston 25 News reported that Hampton-Boyd was held without bail in state custody at the Norfolk County Jail, facing state charges including assault and battery on a pregnant victim, strangulation, kidnapping, failure to stop for police, and multiple firearm offenses. MassLive reports he remains in state custody on those related charges even as the federal case moves forward.
Federal kidnapping jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. § 1201 applies when a victim is unlawfully seized and transported across state lines, exposing defendants to sentences ranging from any term of years up to life imprisonment, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The department announced the federal charges against Hampton-Boyd on Monday, confirming that federal proceedings will move forward while he remains in state custody. MassLive reports that no date has yet been set for his federal arraignment in Boston, and that he faces up to life in prison, up to eight years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $500,000 if convicted.
Hoodline has previously reported on other kidnapping cases moving through the Boston court system this year, including an alleged Roxbury kidnapping-for-extortion case and a Hyde Park man's arrest on multiple warrants tied to strangulation and kidnapping allegations. Open questions in Hampton-Boyd's case include when his federal arraignment will be scheduled, how his state and federal cases will be resolved relative to each other, and whether Rhode Island authorities will pursue additional charges tied to the initial home entry and assault there.
