Luis Melo, Crystal Metta charged in connection with Eastern Mass. pursuit
A Taunton man and his passenger face several charges after a police pursuit of a stolen car, from Middleborough to Taunton with detours in between, ended in arrests and a small, four-legged discovery.
Luis Melo, 33, received a litany of charges from the Raynham, Middleborough and Taunton Police Departments, according to a joint statement issued Thursday from all three departments. Common charges include operating a vehicle with a suspended license, failure to stop/yield, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violation and failure to stop for police, among others.
Raynham police also charged 30-year-old Crystal Metta of Middleborough and charged her with receiving stolen property over $1,200. Both have active warrants, with Melo’s out of Fall River District Court and Wrentham District Court and Metta’s out of Taunton District Court, Wareham District Court and Attleboro District Court.
Middleborough police found a stolen white Infiniti on Monday, Aug. 14 at around 6:38 p.m., the statement read. The Infiniti was reportedly stolen from Westport at around East Main Street. When officers found it, they turned on their lights and sirens and attempt to pull the Infiniti over.
Instead, the car kept driving with Melo behind the wheel, the statement said. At one point, Melo stopped to pick up a passenger, later identified as Metta. The pursuit continued onto Route 44 until officers pulled back when Melo drove onto Route 58, briefly making his way into Carver.
Melo made his way back to Middleborough, where officers released a spike strip in the area of Plymouth Street, which deflated the Infiniti’s rear left tire, police said. But Melo kept driving until there was no back tire, swerving on the road. Out of an abundance of caution, police ended their pursuit as Melo headed for Raynham on Route 44.
Raynham police were next to deploy a spike strip right outside a Ford dealership along Route 44, police said. It was unsuccessful and Melo kept going, with Raynham police now in pursuit, lights and sirens going off. Raynham police tried using another deflation device and boxing Melo’s car along the way, neither of which were successful.
Melo drove until he reached Taunton. By then, Taunton police took over and followed the Infiniti. Before returning to Raynham on Route 138, Melo’s car struck a Taunton police cruiser before he intentionally struck a Raynham officer’s car, police said. The chase stopped and both Melo and Metta were taken into custody.
It was not until officers inspected the Infiniti that they found a French bulldog inside, police said. The dog was taken to the Lakeville Animal Shelter for further evaluation. Police said the dog did not belong to Melo or Metta.
Raynham police charged Melo with the following:
Middleborough police gave Melo the following charges:
Lastly, Taunton police charged Melo with:
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