Massachusetts State Police, local police arrest man on list of charges after multiple crashes, pursuit on Route 140

A man was arrested on a long list of charges after multiple crashes, a pursuit, and a stolen vehicle.

According to Dave Procopio of Massachusetts State Police, shortly before 7:00 p.m. Sunday evening, a Massachusetts State Trooper observed a white BMW X5 SUV, which had been reported stolen from a Waltham dealership, parked outside a building at The Lodge apartment complex at 400 Foxborough Blvd., Foxborough. Other Massachusetts State Police personnel and Foxborough Police responded to the location to assist.

At approximately 7:40 p.m. Troopers and Officers observed a man walk from a building at the apartment complex and enter the stolen BMW. The Trooper who had first observed the stolen SUV activated his emergency blue lights and pulled in front of the BMW in an attempt to prevent the suspect from driving away. The Trooper exited his cruiser wearing equipment and a badge identifying him as a member of the State Police; simultaneously the suspect, in his determination to flee the scene, drove the BMW to the right of the cruiser, coming within a few feet of striking the Trooper, and almost striking a Foxborough Police cruiser that also had its blue lights activated.

As the suspect continued his attempt to evade arrest, the BMW then struck the rear of a parked Toyota RAV 4 SUV, then continued to travel on a grass surface and nearly missed another State Police cruiser, then struck the rear of a parked Toyota Corolla sedan and pushed that car into the side of another parked car, a Nissan Armada SUV. The suspect then struck yet one more parked car, a Ford Mustang coupe, and then sped toward the exit from the parking lot onto Foxborough Boulevard.

The Foxborough Officer and a Trooper pursued the BMW onto Foxborough Boulevard. The suspect fled on that road at a high rate of speed, with no lights on and at times on the wrong side of the road, even with extensive damage to the stolen BMW.

The fleeing suspect entered Route 140 toward Route 95. The suspect stopped in the breakdown lane just prior to the on-ramp to Route 95 and fled on foot into the adjacent woods. With the Foxborough Officer and the Trooper in foot pursuit, the suspect entered the woodline, scaled a large chain link fence, and continued to run.

The Foxborough Officer, who is part of that Department’s K9 Unit, then drove to a parking lot on the other side of the fence that the suspect had climbed over. That officer and his K9 partner Max began a track of the suspect, assisted by the Trooper who had jumped over the fence on foot. The State Police K9 Unit and Air Wing began to respond to the location to assist in the search.

While the search for the suspect was ongoing, police received word that a man matching the suspect’s description was at the Shell gas station at 32 Commercial St., Foxborough, and appeared to be trying to steal a car there.

Procopio stated that Foxborough Police Officer arrived at the gas station moments later and took the suspect into custody after he tried to flee into the woodline next to the station. The suspect was identified as 30-year-old Jose L. Bautista of East Providence, R.I. A Trooper made visual observation of Bautista at the gas station and confirmed he was the same man who had entered the stolen BMW back at the apartment complex and proceeded to strike several other motor vehicles while fleeing the scene.

Meanwhile, during the K9 track, Max located a clothing item linked to Bautista, two cell phones near the fence he had scaled (one of which held Bautista’s Rhode Island driver’s license), and several clear plastic bags containing a white powder substance believed to be fentanyl.

Additionally, while looking into the BMW that the suspect had fled from, a Trooper observed a black satchel bag on the floor of the vehicle. Knowing from training and experience that firearms are known to be kept in small personal satchels, a protective search of the bag revealed that it contained a high-capacity magazine containing 29 rounds of 10mm ammunition. The satchel subsequently was also found to contain two selector switches, which are used to convert a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon, consistent with the characteristics of a machine gun. Also found in the vehicle was a prescription pill bottle with the name torn off, which contained several small round blue pills consistent in appearance to Percocet, according to Procopio.

Troopers transported Bautista to the State Police-Foxboro Barracks where he was booked on the charges of Receiving a stolen motor vehicle, Receiving stolen property worth greater than $1,200, Reckless operation of a motor vehicle, Negligent operation of a motor vehicle, Attaching license plates, Leaving the scene of a crash causing property damage (multiple counts), Failure to stop for police, Assault with a dangerous weapon, Possession of a large capacity feeding device, Illegal possession of ammunition, Trafficking fentanyl, Possession of a Class E narcotic, Speeding; and Marked lanes violation.

A bail commissioner declined to set a cash bail for Bautista and he was held overnight at State Police-Foxboro. He was scheduled to be transported to Wrentham District Court today for arraignment.

State Police assets continue to search the area he crossed on foot while trying to evade capture to determine if he threw down a firearm or any other evidence as he ran.