Gunmen found wearing bulletproof vests
January 12, 2009
CBS Channel 3
Springfield, Mass.
By Leslie Tanner
Springfield, Mass.— Two Springfield men are arrested after police find them armed and wearing bullet proof vests. Police arrested Alexander Rodriguez and Hector Alvarado near the corner of Marble Street and the Dwight Street Extension.
The city's "shot spotter," which uses microphones to identify the location of gun shots, went off just before two a.m. Police arrived within seconds and found Rodriguez, Alvarado and a third man fleeing the area.
"We don't know what these guys were gonna do," says Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney. "What we theorize happened is they were on the corner with these guns and the bullet proof vests on, they were about to commit a crime."
Both men were wearing bullet proof vests when they were stopped, an accessory police say is often used in the most serious crimes.
"These guys who are armed and wearing body armor are going to shoot it out with the cops without even thinking about it," says Delaney. "We don't know, they could have saved a cops life."
Though no violent crime was committed, the men were charged with weapons violations. One was found carrying a high capacity hand gun, the other dropped his weapon in the snow before his arrest. Attorneys say the search that lead police to those weapons was illegal, but officials say the officers were within their rights.
"The search is very questionable in this case," says Rodriguez's attorney. "And certainly is subject to a motion to suppress."
"There is an issue as to the search and seizure here," says Alvarado's attorney. "And Mr. Alvarado would like to return and fight these charges."
"A search by the police, at two o'clock in the morning, where shots were fired just seconds earlier, those cops did a good job," says Delaney.
Police are still searching for the third man involved. Alvarado is being held on 50,000 dollars bail, but Rodriguez will have to wait until a probation violation hearing. He was actually wearing a court ordered GPS device when he was arrested.
Erin Lopez |
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