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Pittsfield Police Arrest Man on DUI, Firearms Charges
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| The handgun police say they found in the defendant's vehicle. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A man allegedly under the influence took officers on a high-speed chase after a Shot Spotter notification early Tuesday morning until crashing through the fence at St. Joseph's Church and hitting a tree.
Domingo Sobers, 28, is being charged with numerous motor vehicle offenses, including driving under the influene, as possessing a firearm without a license and discharging one within 500 feet of a building.
According to a report by Lt. John Soules, officers responded to the Shot Spotter activation at the intersection of Daniels Avenue and Union Street at about 3:29 a.m. Evidence of a shooting was later recovered in that area.
Dispatch reported to responding officers that a Jeep Cherokee may have been involved. While responding to the scene, Officer Michael Lupisella observed a Jeep Cherokee operating one street away from the Shot Spotter location.
The Jeep failed to stop at a stop sign, he said, and he attempted to initiate a traffic stop. The Jeep did not stop but took off at a high rate of speed and ran several stop signs. Police say the driver operated it the wrong way down the one-way portion of Bradford Street.
The vehicle, then travelling eastbound, crossed all lanes of North Street without stopping. It struck the curb on the east side of the street, crashed through the church's iron fence and struck a tree on the church property. The fence and church lawn were damaged. The Jeep's airbags deployed and the vehicle sustained considerable damage.
The operator was the lone occupant of the vehicle. Officers stated that he exhibited signs of being under the influence of alcohol. Ambulance personnel responded to the scene but Sobers declined medical attention. Officers said that when looked inside of his vehicle, they observed a 9mm handgun in plain view within the interior.
As a result of the incident, Sobers was placed under arrest and charged with the following charges. Sobers was to be arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on the following charges: marked lanes violation, failure to stop at a red light, improper operation of a motor vehicle, operation under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to stop for police, possession of firearm without a license and discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building.
