The Boston Police Department reports arresting two men they say officers surprised during an armed home invasion at 18 Bentham Rd., near Mt. Ida Road, around 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday.
Police say: “Officers were advised that the suspects pointed a firearm at the victim, and stole an undisclosed amount of money, and jewelry.”
Police add:
“Upon arrival, a perimeter was set up around the building to secure all exits. Officers knocked and announced their presence at the front door multiple times without any answer. The officers at the rear of the building observed two males inside. Officers converged on the suspects, and were able to place one suspect into handcuffs. The suspect had multiple black zip ties inside of his jacket.
“The second suspect jumped out of a bedroom window and fled towards Mount Ida Road. A foot chase ensued and the suspect was quickly taken into custody. Officers conducted a search of the suspect’s flight path and recovered a Taurus 9mm Pistol with one round in the chamber, a discarded magazine loaded with eleven rounds, gold-colored bracelets, and fourteen plastic bags of Fentanyl. The drugs were later determined to be approximately thirty-nine grams.”
Michael Collins, 53, and Rashard Brown, 34, were charged with home invasion, armed assault to rob, threat to commit a crime, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a large capacity firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition and trespassing. Collins was also charged with trafficking a Class A drug, malicious destruction of property under $1,200 and committing a firearm violation with three prior violent/drug crimes.
At their arraignments Thursday in Dorchester court, a judge ordered both Collins and Brown held without bail pending dangerousness hearings on Monday.
Collins was released just this past May from a 15-year federal sentence for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to filings in that federal case, he has a record that dates to a 1991 incident in which he stabbed somebody in the stomach and which also includes convictions for robbing a Wendy’s at gunpoint – and shooting a worker in the hand – and the armed robbery of a Dorchester Avenue Rent-a-Center after tying up an employee with zip-ties in June, 2013. He was awaiting trial in state court on charges related to that holdup when he was arrested on the federal felon gun possession charge for a March 8, 2012 incident in which he and another guy sold a rifle to somebody who turned out to be an informant working with law enforcement.
