21-year-old arrested on drug trafficking and other charges after reportedly nearly striking several people during chase spanning multiple communities

Several Massachusetts Police Departments combined to arrest a man on drug trafficking and other charges after a pursuit that spanned several communities and resulted in multiple reported near misses for pedestrians.

According to East Bridgewater Police Chief Paul O’Brien, on Wednesday at approximately 6:45 p.m., East Bridgewater Police Officer Joshua DeJesus was working a patrol shift on North Water Street near Grove Street, with his K-9 partner Thor, when he observed a motor vehicle with severely tinted windows that obstructed the view of the operator inside. Upon activating his blue lights to initiate a traffic stop, Officer DeJesus observed the vehicle accelerate to a high rate of speed and allegedly fail to stop at a stop sign before continuing into Brockton. Officer DeJesus ended his pursuit and Whitman and Brockton Police were notified.

Officer DeJesus and Sgt. John Grillo continued to search the area and located the vehicle moments later on Hog Memorial Drive in Whitman. The vehicle again accelerated to a high rate of speed and was seen nearly striking three individuals standing on the sidewalk before police again lost sight of the vehicle.

At approximately 6:50 p.m. the vehicle was located parked in a parking lot next to Strong Field in East Bridgewater. The vehicle’s driver’s side door was open, and a man, later identified as 21-year-old Luke Luchiano Monteiro Henderson of Boston, was seen near the wood line. Monteiro Henderson was recognized as the driver of the vehicle and was taken into custody without incident.

After interviewing witnesses in the area, a search of the nearby woods was conducted, and K-9 Thor assisted officers in locating a plastic baggie with a white powdery substance believed to be fentanyl in the area Monteiro Henderson was reported to have been upon exiting his vehicle.

During a search of Monteiro Henderson’s vehicle, police located several empty plastic baggies in the center console. Once at the station police discovered 15 individually packaged corner-cut baggies, consisting of a white powdery substance believed to be fentanyl, inside a larger sandwich baggie, which weighed approximately 31 grams total.

Monteiro Henderson was arrested and charged with Trafficking Fentanyl More Than 10 Grams (31 Grams Total), Failure to Stop for Police, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle, Window Tint Violation, Speeding, Marked Lanes Violation, Failure to Inspect, and Stop Sign Violation.

Henderson was arraigned in Brockton District Court on Thursday, Aug. 25 and released on $1,000 bail.