A 34-year-old man is facing felony charges after Boston police say he tried to wrestle a Taser and then a service weapon away from an officer during a chaotic struggle on Massachusetts Avenue Sunday evening. Felix Omar David Marrero was identified as the suspect in the confrontation, which began as a call about open drug use outside a South End residence and escalated into a fight that spilled into traffic in the rain.
According to the NBC Boston report, officers were called to a private residence on Massachusetts Avenue after a group was reportedly using drugs at the entrance of the building. Police recognized Marrero from a prior encounter, but he allegedly gave officers a false name before they confirmed his real identity and discovered he had two outstanding warrants. The Boston Police Department’s own account places the initial dispatch at approximately 7:03 PM Sunday, when District D-4 officers responded to the 690 Massachusetts Avenue address in the South End.
A Struggle That Spilled Into Traffic
When officers tried to take Marrero into custody, he resisted repeatedly, and the struggle moved into the street, the station’s report states. Heavy rain and active street traffic compounded the danger as the physical altercation pushed off the sidewalk and into Massachusetts Avenue while officers attempted to restrain him, according to the Boston Police Department. Officers eventually got Marrero on the ground and called for backup.
That is when the confrontation took its most dangerous turn. Marrero allegedly tried to grab an officer’s Taser, then grabbed the handle of an officer’s gun in an attempt to take it, per the same account. Additional responding units helped officers pry Marrero’s hand free from the weapon before he could be fully secured.
Warrants, Prior Arrests and a Lengthy Charge Sheet
At the time of his arrest, Marrero had active warrants out of Suffolk Superior Court for repeat drug offenses, including possession with intent to distribute cocaine and Class A drugs, as well as Boston Municipal Court warrants for distributing Class A and B drugs, according to the Boston Police Department. Department arrest logs also show Marrero was previously arrested in September 2023 on Huntington Avenue on a shoplifting charge under Massachusetts law…