Dorchester man faces federal gun charge for car chase that started on Storrow Drive and ended with crash in Chelsea

Raughn Williams didn't like seeing the flashing blues in his rear view on Storrow Drive, so he sped away, rocketing across the Tobin Bridge and then down into Chelsea, where he crashed into two parked cars and got arrested and charged for the loaded gun he had in a pants leg, which might now mean up to ten years in federal prison, federal authorities say.

Williams, 22, of Dorchester, who already has one criminal conviction on his record, was charged in US District Court yesterday with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, the latest in a series of federal gun charges against Boston-area felons in recent years. If convicted and sentenced to prison time, he could be sent far away from Massachusetts.

According to an affidavit by a state trooper currently assigned to an ATF task force, another state trooper spotted Williams driving inbound on Storrow Drive with what seemed like excessive window tinting on his 2018 Focus, around noon on Aug. 10. The trooper activated his blue lights and tried to pull Williams over. But instead, Williams sped away, up onto the Tobin.

The Focus exited the Tobin Bridge into the neighboring city of Chelsea. The Focus crashed into two vehicles on Park Street in Chelsea. Witnesses on scene told responding officers that two dark-skinned males fled the vehicle on foot onto Park Street.

State Police put out a BOLO and Chelsea officers soon found a man matching witness descriptions - Williams. He ran away, but they caught him, the affidavit continues. He complained of chest pains, so an ambulance was called and he was taken to Mass. General. But first troopers frisked him and found "a loaded Smith & Wesson SD40VE, .40 caliber pistol," with one bullet in the chamber and 13 more in a magazine, along with "two bags of a brown substance and two bags of a white hard substance," the affidavit states.

At MGH, Trooper Melvin read WILLIAMS his Miranda Warnings which he acknowledged that he understood. WILLIAMS then stated, “I saw the cop behind me and I never let cops behind me. He was in front of me and then got behind me. I was driving the speed limit. I had crack on me and no license, bro.” WILLIAMS also stated, “I was driving, bro. I'm done anyways. I got warrants.” After WILLIAMS refused treatment at the hospital, he was placed under arrest for the unlawful possession of a firearm and several other violations of Massachusetts General Laws stemming from the events of that day and booked at SP Tunnels by Trooper Donaghey.

The affidavit continues that in 2016, Williams was convicted of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm in Dorchester Municipal Court, for which he was sentenced to two years behind bars - one year more than the minimum sentence for barring somebody from possession of a gun because of his status as a convicted felon.

Innocent, etc.