Male Arrested on Salem St. for Obstructing Police Responding to Call

At about 1:31 PM on Tuesday, November 24, 2020, officers assigned to District A-1 made an onsite arrest in the area of Salem Street and Wiget Street in Boston’s North End, according to BPDNews.com.

While enroute to a radio call for a domestic violence incident in the North End, officers driving on Salem Street activated their lights and sirens in an effort to get to the high priority call in an efficient manner.

As officers traversed the extremely narrow, one-way street, they came to a complete stop in the area of 69 Salem Street due to a vehicle that was parked a significant distance from the curb, blocking the entire street and preventing the officers from proceeding to the emergency call.

Officers, with their lights and sirens still activated, used the cruiser’s air horn in an effort to get the attention of the vehicle operator to no avail.

A short time later, a male, later identified as Alex Estremera-Munoz, 30-years-old, of Jamaica Plain, exited 65 Salem Street carrying a food order. The male observed the Boston Police Cruiser with the lights and sirens activated and the air horn blaring loudly as he walked in an unhurried manner to the vehicle, which was blocking the road. The male proceeded to slowly place the food order onto the passenger’s seat, start the vehicle, and subsequently idle in the middle of the street with no sense of exigency.

The male carefully pulled onto the road and continued to drive his vehicle exceptionally slow, while making no effort to pull to the side of the road to allow the officers to proceed to the domestic violence call in which they were dispatched. The vehicle continued on Salem Street, willfully obstructing the officers for several minutes.

Due to the operator’s deliberate ignorance and his continued obstruction of the officers, they made the decision to stop the vehicle and issue a citation to the driver. As the vehicle pulled to the side of the road, officers exited their cruiser and proceeded toward the vehicle. As the officers were approaching, the operator suddenly pulled back onto the road in a hurried manner. Officers returned to their cruiser and followed the vehicle to the intersection of Salem Street and Wiget Street where they were able to successfully stop the vehicle.

Officers approached the vehicle and immediately requested the driver’s license to which he refused. Officers asked the operator for his license numerous times to which he failed to comply, simply responding by stating that he wanted to speak to a supervisor and the officers had no reason to stop him. Officers notified the male that if he refused to provide his identity for a third time, he would be placed under arrest. The male again refused to comply and with the assistance of a nearby officer working a paid detail, he was removed from the vehicle and taken into custody.

Due to the suspect’s obstruction, an additional unit was dispatched to the scene of the domestic dispute in the North End.

Alec Estremera- Munoz is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of Willfully Obstructing an Emergency Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Operator Refusing to Identify.