LOWELL — A 21-year-old man who police say is on probation after being arrested in Tewksbury more than a year ago was charged with possessing a firearm during a disturbance at a bakery in the Acre neighborhood on Wednesday. in the afternoon.
Edwin Figueroa, formerly of Hillsboro, NH, but now with a Lowell address, was arrested by Lowell police on charges of carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, disturbing the peace and breaking and entering.
Lowell police reports available in court documents indicate that officers were called to a bakery, located in the 400 block of Merrimack Street, around 4 p.m. Wednesday, on reports of a man in possession of a weapon. of fire. Police said responding officers allegedly discovered Figueroa, along with two other men, at the store.
As officers spoke with the three men, police reports indicate that Figueroa fled through a door that separates the customer area of the bakery from the staff space. According to police reports, Figueroa was quickly detained by officers in the back of the bakery, which police said had no exit.
“It should be noted that the area Figueroa ran to and was in had three staff members actively working who appeared alarmed by Figueroa’s actions,” police reports state.
An officer searching the path Figueroa allegedly took as he ran through the restaurant found a bag that allegedly contained a handgun, according to police reports. Police said the weapon, a .22 Magnum, was loaded with four rounds of ammunition.
Police reports indicate that a record check by Figueroa’s Parole Board revealed that he is on probation until January 31, 2024. The probation stems from charges he received in July 2021 in Tewksbury.
Tewksbury police reports available in court documents indicate that Figueroa allegedly drove into a K-9 officer’s patrol car in a bank parking lot and then tried to flee the scene. According to court documents, Figueroa was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), vandalism of property, and possession of a Class B substance (crack cocaine).
Figueroa was also previously arrested in August 2021 following allegations that he was involved in a shooting with two other men in the city’s South Lowell neighborhood. He was charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. However, prosecutors filed a nolle prosequi, a formal notice that they would no longer file charges, in January.
The Middlesex district attorney’s office and Figueroa’s attorney, Stephen Barton, were not immediately available for comment.
On the latest charges, Figueroa was arraigned in Lowell District Court Friday by Judge Zachary Hillman. He was held on $3,000 cash bond and is scheduled to return to court on the charges on January 13. Figueroa will also appear in court at a future date for a probation violation hearing.
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